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Cyclone-ravaged Sunderbans is now drowning in plastic

Cyclone-ravaged Sunderbans is now drowning in plastic

  • Several NGOs, experts, and the Forest Department have pointed out that the plastic accumulating in the Sunderbans is cause for great concern.
  • Accordng to an estimate, half of all plastic produced is designed to be used only once and then thrown away.
  • In 2014, United Nation report estimated the annual impact of plastic pollution on oceans at US$ 13 billion.

Key points:

  • Cyclone Yaas inundated large parts of the Sunderbans in the last week of May 2021.
  • The unregulated inflow of relief to the Sunderbans has resulted in a new crisis in the cyclone-battered region i.e. plastic waste.
  • The tonnes of plastic is present in the remote areas of the Sundarbans like Gosaba, Mousuni, Bali, Patharpratima, and Kultali.
  • It is outsiders who carry a large number of plastics, completely oblivious and ignorant to its long-term impact on the region.
  • The unregulated inflow of relief coming in from individuals and voluntary organizations.
  • It is difficult to estimate the total amount of plastic waste that is arriving in about 50 inhabited islands

Concerns of plastic waste:

  • Plastics would have a long-term ecological impact on the Sundarbans ecosystem.
  • The presence of plastic in saline water will increase the toxicity of water gradually.
  • There will be eutrophication of water.
  • Because of the presence of plastics in the water, there will be an increase in microplastics, which will slowly enter the food system.
  • Plastic wastes have profoundly affected animals in aquatic, marine, and terrestrial ecosystems.
  • It leads to dreadful consequences to marine creatures that swallow the toxic chemicals.

According to UNEP

  • Only 9% of all plastic waste ever produced has been recycled. About 12% has been incinerated, while the rest — 79% — has accumulated in landfills, dumps or the natural environment.
  • A staggering 8 million tonnes of plastic end up in the world’s oceans every year.
  • Plastic waste — whether in a river, an ocean, or on land — can persist in the environment for centuries.
  • If current trends continue, our oceans could contain more plastic than fish by 2050.

Sunderbans:

  • Sundarbans is vast contiguous mangrove forest ecosystem in the coastal region of Bay of Bengal spread across India and Bangladesh.
  • It covers approximately 10,000 square kilometres of area of which 60% is in Bangladesh and remaining in India.
  • It is located in delta region of Padma, Meghna and Brahmaputra river basins.
  • Sundarbans Tiger Reserve was created in 1973.
  • Sundarbans National Park, established in 1984, constitutes a core region within the tiger reserve.
  • It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.
  • It was designated as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2001.
  • Sundarban Wetland, India was recognised as the ‘Wetland of International Importance’ under the Ramsar Convention in January 2019.
  • It is the only mangrove forest in the world inhabited by tigers.

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