Five-fold increase of cyclones in Bengal: Study

The frequency of cyclones in 15 West Bengal districts has increased five-fold between 1970 and 2019, an environmental think tank said on Thursday.

The frequency of cyclones in 15 West Bengal districts, home to nearly 72 million people, has increased five-fold between 1970 and 2019 for which priority should be given to preserving the mangrove forests of Sunderbans which act as a natural coastal defence against flooding, an environmental think tank said on Thursday. The study roots of mangrove trees known as pneumatophores which grow upward from the soil to get oxygen supply act as a shock absorber against violent storm surges and floods in the Sunderbans which lie on the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers on the Bay of Bengal. The Sundari is the dominant mangrove tree species of the Sunderbans. To curtail the spurt of cyclones, the country also needs to build climate resilience at multiple levels, the study said. The hotspot for cyclones and storms in West Bengal includes districts like Howrah, Kolkata, North 24 Parganas, Paschim Medinipur, and South 24 Parganas.