Polythene smothering breathing roots, microplastics in wildlife: Sundarbans choking on plastic

Photo: Collected

The breathing roots of the Sundarbans are being covered in plastic waste. Discarded fishing nets and polythene are stunting the growth of new saplings. Where plastic is piling up most, crabs, snails and other aquatic creatures are being seen less often. On top of this comes the bad news of microplastics, which are being detected in the water, the soil and the bodies of aquatic animals. This is the picture seen on visits to various parts of the forest, and it has also emerged in several international studies. Even so, there are no effective measures in place.

On recent visits to Katka, Kochikhali, Jamtola, Dimer Char, Andharmanik and other areas of the Sundarbans, polythene, nylon nets, plastic bottles, rope, cork sheets and other waste were seen piled up at the base of trees, around breathing roots and on the forest floor. At Dimer Char, large amounts of plastic were seen lodged among plant seeds washed in by the tide. Forest-dependent people in Sarankhola of Bagerhat and Patharghata of Barguna said the same. According to them, crabs, snails and other bottom-dwelling creatures are seen less than before in parts of Katka, Kochikhali and Dimer Char where plastic builds up most.

Experts say abandoned nets and plastic ropes are wrapping around new saplings and holding back their normal growth. In places, polythene has collected on the trees’ breathing roots. They also reported a fall in the rate of natural regeneration of saplings and in vegetation density in these areas. However, scientific study is needed to establish how much plastic waste is behind these changes.

Sheikh Tareq Arafat, a professor and researcher at Khulna University’s Fisheries and Marine Resource Technology Discipline, said large plastic waste gradually breaks down into small particles and mixes with the soil. These microplastics can enter the bodies of crabs, snails and various other animals, raising the risk of harm to their normal functions and reproductive capacity. He believes plastic may also be playing a part in the decline of animal movement in polluted areas.

Bangladeshi research itself has found evidence of microplastics in the aquatic ecosystem of the Sundarbans. In a study published in Science of the Total Environment in 2022, researchers detected microplastics in animals at various levels of the Sundarbans’ aquatic food chain. An average of 0.56 particles per animal was found in primary consumers and an average of 4.17 particles in fourth-level consumers in the food web.

Another Khulna University study from 2020 to 2022 found an average of 2.22 microplastic particles per litre of water and 734 per kilogram of soil in samples from six sites in the Sundarbans. In another study published in 2023, microplastics were found in the digestive tracts of every one of 64 fish of eight species collected from rivers and canals in the Sundarbans and the country’s western coast, an average of 7.1 particles per fish. The average was 7.78 in bottom-dwelling fish and 5.92 in fish moving in the upper waters.

Dr Gawsia Wahidunnessa Chowdhury, a professor and researcher in the Department of Zoology at Dhaka University, said plastic pollution can have a direct impact on the forest’s ecosystem. Research has found microplastics in animals at various levels of the Sundarbans’ aquatic food chain, and these particles can enter many animals through the food chain. However, more specific research is needed to determine the long-term damage. In her words, ‘There is only one Sundarbans. If it is destroyed, we have no alternative option.’

While microplastics in water, sediment and aquatic animals have been studied, concerned quarters have called for research into how much direct harm visible plastic waste does to plants, natural regeneration and bottom-dwelling creatures. Long-term comparative research is also needed on plastic-covered breathing roots, the growth of new saplings, seed germination, the vitality of trees and changes in the habitats of crabs and snails. Alongside clearing the waste, it is urgent to determine the nature and extent of this damage. According to teachers at various universities who work on the environment, unless effective measures are taken on the basis of scientific data, the long-term impact of plastic pollution on the Sundarbans’ wildlife and nature may remain unknown.

Md Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, divisional forest officer of the Sundarbans East, said the Forest Department is currently facing a manpower shortage, with 140 forest guard posts vacant. Despite this constraint, plastic waste is regularly collected from the forest and dumped in Bagerhat and Khulna, but this is far less than the waste spread across the vast area of the Sundarbans. Tourists have been asked not to take single-use plastic into the forest, and forest guards are carrying out regular checks. However, he said the huge amount of plastic waste washed in from the sea and rivers is the biggest crisis for the Sundarbans.

Background

According to a report by The Daily Star Bangla, the Forest Department had barred tourists and forest-dependent people from entering the Sundarbans from 1 June to 31 August during the breeding season of wildlife and fish; even so, plastic was seen piling up in the forest’s rivers, canals and beaches before the tourist season began.

By the numbers

By the Forest Department’s count, more than 2 lakh local and foreign tourists visit the Sundarbans every year, bdnews24.com reported on 28 September.

Sources

Original report: Ajker Patrika

Background sources: The Daily Star Bangla, 2026; bdnews24.com, 28 September 2026