UNB: Mangrove forest, which is known as ‘Green Wall’ that protected the people of the coastal district from the devastation of cyclone Sidr, is shrinking fast, thanks to unmindful felling of trees and lack of effective conservation efforts.
When the cyclone Sidr hit the district in 2017, some 11.50 kilometers of embankment out of the total 407 km in Kalaparaupazila, were damaged totally while 207 km partially, and the portion got damaged that was damaged for having no forest, according to officials at Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) in the upazila.On November 15, 2007, Cyclone Sidr struck the south-west coast of Bangladesh, killing some 3,000 people and causing extensive agricultural production losses, totalling near US$ 1.1 billion and affecting 2.3 million households
Although 11 years have passed by after cyclone Sidr hit the district, the authorities concerned could not take any initiative for protecting the mangrove forest, keeping the lives of local people under threat of natural disasters.