The carrying capacity of the Indian Sunderbans has been exceeded, and the increased population is exerting pressure on the fragile and richest ecosystem of the world, a World Bank report has said.
“The population is growing and exerting even greater pressure on fragile and recovering natural systems. As a result of high birth rates and migration inflows, population density is high and growing,” said the report “Building resilience for sustainable development of the Sunderbans.” The Sunderbans has a high population density of about 1,000 persons a sq.km, equivalent to the 1,030 of entire West Bengal.
Referring to a non-lending technical assistance household survey conducted in 2011, the report points out that 27 per cent of the respondents said they migrated from Midnapore, 4.7 per cent from other locations in southern West Bengal, 17.4 per cent from Bangladesh. About 46 per cent reported that they had lived earlier in a different location within the Sunderbans. The report was presented at the end of a three-day workshop organised by WWF- India and EnGIO and the West Bengal government.
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