DHAKA: Bangladesh will seek emergency funds from the World Heritage Centre to restore the ecosystem and biodiversity of the Sundarban mangrove forest, badly mauled by last month’s killer cyclone, officials said on Wednesday.

Cyclone Sidr, which struck the Bangladesh coast on Nov 15 with winds of 250 kph, killed around 3,500 people, made millions homeless and destroyed a large part of the Sundarbans, a UNESCO World Heritage site and home to the Royal Bengal Tiger.

Forest officials said they had found two dead tigers and several deer following the cyclone, the worst to hit Bangladesh since 1991, when a storm killed around 143,000 people.

Officials said better preparedness and an advance warning system had helped save many people this time, but the vast mangrove forest had also largely offset the impact of the cyclone, which triggered a 5-metre water surge from the Bay of Bengal.

According to the forest department’s preliminary estimate, the financial loss caused by Sidr to the mangroves would top $145 million, and experts say it might be more.

“Bangladesh is preparing a letter asking emergency funding from the World Heritage Centre for immediate rehabilitation of infrastructure in the Sundarbans,” said Shafayat Hossain, a senior official at the Environment and Forest Ministry.

“After final assessment of total damage to the Sundarbans, we will formally seek assistance from the WHC,” he said.

Fakhruddin Ahmed, head of Bangladesh’s interim government, told donors that Dhaka would need around $150 million to restore damage to the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove area.

“In the backdrop of Sidr, we need to mobilise resources not only for a major forestation programme in the coastal belts, but also to restore the flora and fauna of the Sundarbans,” Fakhruddin said. Denmark on Wednesday backed Bangladesh’s recent appeal to the international community for $1 billion assistance for rehabilitation and reconstruction following the cyclone.

Denmark has pledged $4 million aid for emergency relief, long-term reconstruction and climate change adaptation in Bangladesh, she said.—Reuters