The High Court on Wednesday directed the government to demolish all shrimp projects in Sonadia and its surrounding areas, including Gatibanga, Taziakata, and Hamidardia in Cox鈥檚 Bazar, to prevent further destruction of the mangrove forest in Sonadia Island, some 11 kilometers north from the district town.
The bench of Justice Fatema Najib and Justice Sikder Mahmudur Razi issued the order after hearing a writ petition filed by 12 lawyers and local residents of Cox鈥檚 Bazar, urging the protection of the ecologically sensitive area.
The court also instructed authorities to prosecute those responsible for destroying the mangroves, in accordance with the forest act.
In addition, the court ordered the immediate replanting in Sonadia and adjacent areas with mangrove plants.
The court demanded explanations from the authorities as to why their inaction in protecting the mangrove forest should not be declared illegal.
Secretaries of the ministries of environment, forest, and climate change, the executive chairman of the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority, the director general of the Department of Environment, the deputy commissioner of Cox鈥檚 Bazar, the superintendent of police, and local authorities have been asked to respond to the court鈥檚 rule.
Sonadia Island was declared an Ecologically Critical Area by the government in a 1999 gazette notification to ensure environmental conservation.
Lawyer Mohammad Shishir Manir, representing the petitioners, highlighted that mangrove plantations in Sonadia and across the country began in 1962, with a significant reforestation program initiated in Sonadia after 1996.
The forest department had been maintaining the mangrove forest until 2002, when certain political leaders began felling the trees indiscriminately to build shrimp farms.
In 2023, members of the Awami League allegedly resumed the illegal clearing of trees in the mangrove forest for shrimp farming and creating salt fields, a practice that was halted during the army-backed interim regime in 2007.
This deforestation persisted until the January 2024 election.
The environmental destruction has also led to conflict, with two people killed in a clash over the salt fields on March 2, 2024.
These salt fields were created by clearing the mangrove forest, exacerbating tensions in the area.
