Industrial pollution threatens Sundarbans’ ecological health

Industrial air pollution around the Sundarbans is threatening the long-term ecological health of the world’s largest mangrove forest, with experts warning that toxic particles can damage vegetation and weaken the ecosystem over time.
Industrial dust deposited on leaves blocks sunlight and clogs stomata, disrupting photosynthesis and stunting plant growth, said Dr Monirul H Khan, a professor of zoology at Jahangirnagar University.
As vegetation forms the foundation of the food web, declining plant growth can have cascading effects on wildlife and the wider ecosystem, he told BSS.
A joint study by the Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS) and the Arannayk Foundation detected high concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and dust (PM10) at several locations in the forest. Field research was conducted in the Khulna, Satkhira, Sharankhola and Chandpai ranges in January and February of both 2024 and 2025.
The Sharankhola range recorded PM2.5 concentrations of 102 micrograms per cubic metre and PM10 levels of 114 micrograms per cubic metre. In Chandpai, PM2.5 measured 89.3 micrograms per cubic metre and PM10 reached 98.1 micrograms per cubic metre. Monirul blamed the deteriorating air quality on the proliferation of heavy industries and cement factories near the forest.
Malik Fida A Khan, former executive director of CEGIS, said rapid industrialisation in the southwestern region was worsening air quality around the forest. He noted that cement factories release large quantities of PM10 dust and hazardous PM2.5 particles during raw clinker processing, which can be carried towards the forest by prevailing winds.
“If the highly polluting cement factories operating around the periphery cannot be relocated or shut down, saving this vulnerable mangrove forest will become an impossible task,” he warned.
The study recommended setting up long-term air quality monitoring stations to track PM2.5 and sulphur dioxide (SO2), alongside real-time meteorological data on temperature, humidity, wind speed and rainfall to forecast the dispersion of industrial emissions.