Weak enforcement of forest laws is also liable for the ongoing heat waves

There is still no hope of respite from the power supply shortage while people across the country suffer terribly from extreme heat waves. Frequent load-shedding has added to the misery of burning the men even in their own living rooms. Children are the worst victims. International news agency Reuters on Wednesday reported that Bangladesh is suffering from the worst power crisis since 2013. Analysing government documents, the report said that the problem was created due to adverse weather conditions, fuel imports suffering due to dwindling reserves and the currency exchange rate falling.

Local newspapers said mismanagement, plundering, and looting have been unabated still today not only in the energy sector, but also in the environment to bring ecological disasters. We see that the country’s natural forest reserves have been facing the highest deforestation due to the Forest Department’s (DoF) repeated failure to play its role, mainly due to irregularities in forest management. Studies have found the conversion of forests to agriculture and scrublands, which indicate the indiscriminate cutting of trees. Several assessments, cited in government documents, have also found weak enforcement of forest laws, insufficient demarcation of forest boundaries; non-sustainable forest management, and growing demand for land for industrial and infrastructural development to be the major causes of rampant deforestation.

Sources pointed out that the plundering of forest resources was done mainly by government officials and unscrupulous local inhabitants. In addition to this, the Rohingya refugees have destroyed a vast forest area in Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, and Badarban districts. So why, the overall wildlife population has been massively reduced in the region? Over the past decades, DoF had almost no control over the hill forests. This must be stopped before Bangladesh becomes completely deforested. Against the countrywide demand for 25 per cent forest, Bangladesh now has less than 10 per cent. If it is needed, Jhum cultivation in the hills should be stopped.
We have just celebrated World Environment Day on 5th of this month witnessing how rampant deforestation has hugely affected the country’s overall weather conditions. We have an act to save the forest, and we know that it cannot be enforced even so nominally in the interest of illegal grabbers. It must end.