The Sundarbans, the world’s largest natural mangrove forest, is bracing for the footfalls of a greater number of visitors owing to the newly opened Padma Bridge that has brought the famed tourist destination in the southwestern region closer to the rest of the country.
Travel to the region will be smooth and fast, according to tour operators and forest officials.
File photo of the Padma Bridge Mehedi Hasan/Dhaka TribuneThe Forest Department is already gearing up to welcome the rush of tourists by opening four new ecotourism centres close to the forest, which is shared by Bangladesh and West Bengal in India.
Tourists will now have direct road access to the forest and its adjoining areas Mongla in Bagerhat.
Md Belayet Hossain, divisional forest officer (DFO-east) of the Sundarbans said: “The new tourism centres will be built at Andharmanik in Chandpai range, Ali Banda in Sarankhola range, Sheikher Tek at Satkhira range and Kalabogi under the Sundarbans Ecotourism Project at the cost of Tk25 crore. The four new ecotourism centres will be added to the existing seven at Koromjol Herbaria, Kotka, Kochikhali, Dubla of Chandpai range on the eastern part and Hiran point and Kalagachia of west division.”
At these centres, gazebos, foot trailers, public toilets, watch towers and walkways will be built for tourists, he added.
“Due to undeveloped connectivity, many tourists felt uninterested in coming to the Sundarbans. As the scenario has now changed after the Padma Bridge opening, hopefully more tourists will be attracted to visit the forest,” said Golam Rahman Bitu, a trader who depends on tourism in the Sundarbans.
Dr Sheikh Faridul Islam, chairman of Save the Sundarbans Foundation, said: “Locals are ecstatic about the opening of the bridge as most of their livelihoods are connected with Sundarbans tourism. Establishment of new infrastructures and good connectivity will also be good for the tourists.”
DFO Belayet said: “In the 2021-22 fiscal year, 120,000 tourists visited the Sundarbans and a revenue of Tk25 lakh was earned from this sector. With the inauguration of the Padma Bridge, extensive changes in the forest will come and as the number of tourists increases, so will the revenue.”
Azad Kabir, officer-in-charge of Karamjal Wildlife Breeding Centre in the East Sundarbans, said of the 6,017 square kilometres of the Sundarbans, 1,874.1sqkm of water area is in Bangladesh which is 31.15% of the total area. The forest has 315 species of wildlife including tigers, deer, monkeys and 334 species of plants including Sundari, Bain and Garan.
“Basically, tourists from different parts of the country come every year to see this biodiversity. But as the communication system was poor, the number of tourists dropped sometimes even during the peak season. Now with the bridge, the revenue from this sector of the Sundarbans will increase four to five times.” he added.
