Threat to Sundarbans
the region has nearly 4.5 million inhabitants.
The study, ‘Acidity and oxidative potential of atmospheric aerosols for a remote mangrove ecosystem during the advection of anthropogenic plumes' by Researchers from IIT-Kanpur & Bose Institute
pollutants, especially black carbon or soot particles, not only from urban activities in Kolkata but from the entire Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) was significantly impacting the Sundarbans.
the acidic components of PM 2.5 (ultrafine particulate matter with diameter less than 2.5 micrometer) pollutants favoured the formation of reactive oxygenated species (ROS).
ROS is a type of unstable molecule that contains oxygen that easily reacts with other molecules in a cell. The buildup of ROS can damage a living cell and also has the potential of causing cell death.
“In a coastal ecosystem, the mangroves usually form a series of antioxidants and reduce ROS and toxic stresses,”
high ROS can also harm aquatic animals by creating toxic conditions
Sundarbans' potential to absorb atmospheric carbons and other climate warming greenhouse gases is more than the Amazon rainforest
destruction of this ecosystem will expose the region to natural disasters.
Steps to control asked for more stringent measures like, controlling tourism, banning diesel generator sets, subsidising LPG to reduce reliance on more polluting traditional cooking methods, closing polluting factories, stopping toxic shipments, and strengthening coastal regulations.
Large use of kerosene lamps for domestic lighting is also very common in Sundarbans. It would also be worth mentioning that the only medium of inter-island transport in the Sundarbans delta is diesel-driven boats and vessels, most of which run on low-efficiency engines
