Rise in sea level threatening Sunderbans: Pachauri

The rise in sea levels around the Sundarbans delta - the world's largest mangrove forest spread across India and Bangladesh - is a cause of concern, said Dr R K Pachauri, Director-General of TERI. Researchers of the School of Oceanographic Studies, Jadavpur University, estimate that sea levels rose from 3.14 mm annually (recorded until the year 2000) to about 8 mm by 2010. The delta consists of 102 low-lying islands of which 48 are inhabited. Nearly four million people in the Sundarbans coexist with 26 species of true mangroves, 234 species of birds and 47 species of mammals, including the Royal Bengal tiger.