Windy Bangladesh outpost secured

By Alastair Lawson
BBC News, on board MV Aboshar

This forestry department office is secured by a rope to a tree

Bangladeshi forestry officials have hit upon a novel way of stopping one of their storm-hit outposts from being frequently blown away.

With no money to erect a stronger building, they have instead elected to secure the structure using a giant rope which is tied to a tree.

The outpost, in a remote part of Bangladesh, has been destroyed by cyclones several times in recent years.

But now forestry officials hope that it will stay put in the high winds.

Desperate measures

Based in a remote area in the far south of Bangladesh, Chief Forrester Kazi Abdul Malek and five junior forestry officials have become so frustrated with heavy storms regularly blowing their office and living quarters away that they decided literally to tie the buildings down.

The hope is that a heavy rope tied to a tree will stop their outpost from being blown away next time there is a high wind.

Bangladeshis make the most of what they have got

The reason why Mr Malek's team has resorted to such desperate measures is because the cash-strapped forestry department cannot afford to provide them with better accommodation.

"We have been so badly hit by cyclones and storms in recent years that we had no alternative," Mr Malek told a team of BBC journalists travelling on the Bangladesh River Journey - a month-long boat tour of the country to highlight issues such as climate change.

"Every time there has been a storm in the past all we have been able to do is pray to God," he said.

"At least this way we have done something to stop ourselves from being completely washed away.

Vulnerable

"Our storm rope also has the added advantage of doubling up as a clothes-washing line!"

Mr Malek's forestry headquarters is located at Chandreswar, on the southern tip of the Sundarbans mangrove forest that adjoins the Bay of Bengal.

It is one of the most storm-exposed and remote places in a country renowned for its devastating cyclones and high population density.

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Chandreswar is designated an "official tidal zone", vulnerable not just to floods but to the regular tidal surges that take place in this harsh and inaccessible area.

Mr Malek and his team have no fresh drinking water apart from the rainwater they collect from the rooftop.

The nearest food and medical supplier is a two-hour boat journey to the town of Sharankhola.

In addition, there is the constant danger posed by tigers and crocodiles.

"We can often hear the tigers roaring at night time, so we know they are close," he says, "but so far they have never ventured inside our compound even though it's possible to see their foot prints on a daily basis."

Mr Malek is proud of operating in such a tough area. Despite the threat posed by wind, water shortages and wildlife, so far none of his forestry department guards have been killed or injured.

"Even so, we very much feel that we are on the cutting edge here," he says.