A media report that about 150 industries are now poised to be set up around the Subdarbans is highly disconcerting. Bangladesh is lucky to be blessed with the world’s biggest mangrove forest but sadly, whims and caprices of the authorities pose a threat to its existence. What is really alarming is that about 300 business enterprises and a few individuals have reportedly bought about 10,000 acres of land in villages not far from the Sundarbans. Although ten kilometre areas from the forest have been declared environmentally critical, business houses and individuals have purchased the lands. They have already got clearance from the Department of Environment (DoE). The environmentalists and even the United Nations have expressed grave concern over adverse fallout of such reckless moves to mint money at the cost of the world heritage The Sundarbans is a treasure trove of biodiversity. It is one of the last remaining habitats for the Asian tigers and provides habitat for two endangered species of dolphins: the Ganges and the Irrawaddy dolphins. The vast forest also acts as a huge natural safeguard against storms and cyclones. The Sundarbans is a gift of nature to Bangladesh. But sadly the authorities were at their wit’s end when over 2,00,000 litres of furnace oil were spilled in the Shale River not long ago. It took nearly five days for them to act– mopping up the oil from different channels of rivers lying inside the forest. There must be a guideline on use of the Sundarbans and its strict enforcement so that the mangrove forest remains protected with its resources that are providing livelihoods to thousands. As the government prepares to construct the controversial Rampal power plant near the Sundarbans, land grabbing has reached an unprecedented level in the forest. People who say that coal-fired power stations produce low-cost electricity are wrong because they don’t count the social and environmental costs of these plants, said Prof Anu Muhammad of Jahangirnagar University. The Rampal plant, only about 14 kilometres off the Sundarbans, will pollute the water bodies in the forest and destroy its ecological balance. He said, “Had the policymakers considered these impacts, they would have realised that the power station is not cost-effective at all.” Because of their environmental impacts, coal-based power plants are losing popularity worldwide, he pointed out. The harmful effects of pollution and continuing deforestation are threatening the very existence of the Sundarbans. At the same time, the effect of expanding agriculture, which involves clearing the mangrove forests for irrigation canals, is taking its toll on the fragile ecosystem. It is time for the government to act fast in saving the Sundarbans before it goes extinct.