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Bhawal's biodiversity in peril as Gazipur forest cover drops
Published : Monday, 2 November, 2026 at 10:45 AM
Observer Correspondent
Collected Photo
The historic Bhawal Sal forest and biodiversity in Gazipur are facing severe destruction, with joint research revealing that the district lost nearly 60 per cent of its forest cover over the past two decades.
According to data compiled by the River and Delta Research Center, Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), and local environmental groups, forest coverage shrank from 39,943 hectares in 2000 to just 16,174 hectares in 2026.
Forest area currently accounts for merely 9.49 per cent of the total land in Gazipur, falling significantly below the mandatory environmental standard of 20 to 25 per cent due to rapid industrialisation, illegal encroachment, resort commercialisation, and waste pollution.
Field investigations revealed hundreds of unauthorized infrastructure developments and logistics hubs constructed within protected core zones across Bonkhoria, Rajendrapur, Sreepur, and Kaliakair forest ranges, including industrial plants inside the Baupara beat core zone.
Unplanned waste dumping by the Gazipur City Corporation adjacent to the main gate of Bhawal National Park has leaked toxic leachate into the soil, causing root rot and mortality among century-old Sal and Gajari trees.
Environmental surveys identified illegal land grabbing at 247 spots and direct industrial waste discharge at 161 points along the Turag, Labandha, and Chilai rivers, rendering the Labandha River virtually dead due to plastic factories and 39 visible industrial lines.
The rapid deforestation has driven indigenous wildlife species, including barking deer, wild boars, fishing cats, native snakes, and migratory birds, to the brink of local extinction.
Local residents expressed despair over the loss of natural woodland, noting that toxic chemical fumes from surrounding factories continue to dry out remaining trees.
Mosaddique Rahman, president of Gazipur Paribesh Andolan (GAPA), described the Bhawal forest as vital for Dhaka's ecological balance, calling for the immediate creation of an independent "Gazipur Forest Division" to improve field supervision currently hindered by central management in Dhaka.
Gazipur Deputy Commissioner confirmed that joint eviction operations involving the Army, RAB, and the Forest Department have recovered government forest land worth 35 crore BDT, maintaining a zero-tolerance policy against illegal encroachers regardless of influence.
Although the High Court recently directed the Gazipur City Corporation to halt dumping municipal waste inside the protected Bhawal National Park, illegal encroachment and chemical dumping persist across vulnerable zones.
-EM
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Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Advertisement: 41053012; 01793317829, 01550707291, 01550707296
E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]. [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], Online-email: [email protected]
