Air pollution from industries bordering the Sundarbans is increasingly threatening the ecological integrity of the world’s largest mangrove forest, experts warn. The Sundarbans, located in Bangladesh and known as a natural habitat for the Royal Bengal tiger, is experiencing significant atmospheric contamination that is damaging plant life and jeopardizing the broader ecosystem.
Researchers have identified that airborne pollutants, particularly fine particulate matter generated by nearby heavy industries and cement factories, are affecting the forest’s vegetation by disrupting essential biological processes. Dr. Monirul H Khan, a professor at Jahangirnagar University’s Department of Zoology, explained that industrial dust settling on leaves blocks sunlight and clogs stomata, which hampers photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is critical for plant growth and energy production, and its impairment threatens the entire food web sustained by the forest's flora.
A joint study conducted by the Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS) and the Arannayk Foundation measured levels of fine particles at key locations within the Sundarbans, including the Khulna, Satkhira, Sharankhola, and Chandpai ranges. Field data collected during January and February of 2024 and 2025 revealed particularly high concentrations of particulate matter. The Sharankhola range recorded levels of PM2.5 at 102 micrograms per cubic meter and PM10 at 114 micrograms per cubic meter, while Chandpai showed the second-highest densities, with PM2.5 at 89.3 micrograms per cubic meter and PM10 at 98.1 micrograms per cubic meter.
Malik Fida A Khan, former executive director of CEGIS, attributed this environmental degradation to the rapid industrialization occurring in southwestern Bangladesh. He highlighted that cement factories, which utilize raw clinker processing, emit substantial quantities of fine dust and hazardous respirable particles that are carried by prevailing winds into the forest area. Fida A Khan stressed that unless polluting industries around the Sundarbans are relocated or shut down, conservation efforts will face significant challenges.
Both experts emphasized the long-term and cumulative nature of the damage, describing industrial air pollution as a "slow poison" whose full impact on the Sundarbans’ ecology may only become apparent over the coming decade. Without urgent intervention, the resilience of this critical mangrove ecosystem—and the wildlife it supports—could be severely compromised.