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Swatch of No Ground

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36 views13 pages

Swatch of No Ground

Uploaded by

azbabo4040
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Swatch of No Ground

A MARINE TREASURE IN BAY OF BENGAL

Prepared by:
Akteruzzaman
ID: 23160503
Reg: 46884
Introduction
 Swatch of no Ground, also known as Ganga Trough, Ganges Canyon and
Ganges Submarine Canyon, is a trough-shaped marine valley or canyon that
cross the continental shelf diagonally and situated on the south of the Ganges-
Brahmaputra delta in Bay of Bengal.
 One of the largest sediment fans in the world.
 A part of the Bengal Fan, world’s largest underwater ravine.
 Similar delta-front troughs are found off the mouth of the Indus River known as
Indus Trough and off the West Side of the Mississipi delta, the Mississipi Trough.
 A deep underwater trench, home to a number of globally threatened species
of marine animals.
 Bangladesh’s first Marine Protected Area.
 Named by British explores for it’s seemingly bottomless depth.
Location
➢ Situated between 21.2500°N 89.4667°E.
➢ The nearest district is Bagerhat.
➢ Located very close to the Sundarban area,
just about 30 km from the Dublar Char and 40
km Sonarchar Islands.
➢ At the eastern side: The Middleground.
➢ At the western side: Indian waters.
➢ Total area approximately 4000 square
kilometers.
Topography

 A deep submarine canyon a comparatively


flat floor 5 to 7 km wide and walls of about 12'
inclination.
 Average depths in the trough are about
1,200m.
 Deepest trench has a recorded size of about
1340 meters.
 Has a seaward continuation for almost 2,000
km down the bay of bengal in the form of fan
valleys.
 sediments are tunneled through this canyon
into the deeper part of the Bay of Bengal.
Origin and Formation

 Started forming during Pleistocene (2-0.1million years ago)era as a result


of Ganga-Brahmaputra River was discharging its sediment load directly
on the shelf edge.
 Slumps, growth faults and evidence of mass movement coupled with
high sedimentation rates near the Swatch of no Ground is thought to be
responsible.
 Under the present condition perhaps low-density turbidity currents and
sand cascading are perhaps dominating process.
 Other processes are mass movements, tectonics, shifting sea levels and
Himalyan uplift.
Biodiversity of SoNG
Very little is studied and known about the biodiversity of SoNG. As a result exact number of species
inhabiting the area is unknown. An exploration by Isabella foundation in 2017 shows the following
statistics, though the exact number of species is thought to be many times higher.

 11 species of Lobster, crabs and other decapods.


 12 species of Cockles’ loligo, sepia, bivalves & others.
 3 species of Jellyfish.
 35 species of fish including grouper, sardine, perch, knife, eel, catfish, Shark, Pomfret, flat
fish.
 3 species of sea turtle. Hawksbill ,Olive Ridley and Green turtle.
 5 species of sea snake.
 18 species of birds.
 7 species of cetaceans.
Probable cetaceans diversity of SoNG

• Exact cetacean
species no. is not
confirmed.
• Population status
unknown.
• Research
needed.
Importance

 Economical : One of four main fishing ground of Bangladesh. Has huge


potentiality as tourist attraction for whale watching.
 Geological : Act as Highway for transporting sediments to the deeper
Bengal fan.
 Biological : Home to globally endangered cetacean populations.
 Environmental: Shape and locatin affect tides and currents in adjacent
coastal and marine waters.
 Ecological: Adjacent mangrove forests are somehow aided by SoNG as it
carry the sediment load runs through rivers inside forests.
SoNG marine protected area
 The government of Bangladesh announces new Marine Protected Areas totaling about
8.8% of its Exclusive Economic Zone.
 1,738 sq-km area in the Swatch of No Ground is declared protected area.
 Declared on 26 October 2014 by Ministry of Environment and Forest.
 Protected species are:

Dolphins Irrawaddy Dolphin, Indo-Pacific Humpbacked Dolphin, Bottle-nosed dolphin, Pantropical


Spotted Dolphin, Spinner Dolphin.
Porpoise Finless Porpoise.

Whales Bryde's Whale, Fin-backed Whale, Humpbacked Whale, Pygmy Sperm Whale, Dwarf
Sperm Whale, Killer Whale, False Killer Whale.
Sharks Hammerhead Shark, Leopard Shark, Spotted Cat Shark, Gray Baboo Shark, Kani Shark,
Milk Shark, Blacktop Shark, Silky Shark, Fairi Shark, Laretooth Sawfish, Pointed Sawfish.
government departments for
management
Department Relevant laws Role

Forest Department Wildlife (Conservation Conservation of wildlife and management of marine


and Security) Act, 2012 protected area.
Department of Environment Conservation of the environment and enforcement of
Environment Conservation Act, 1995 environmental laws.
Department of Marine Fisheries Management, conservation and exploitation of
Fisheries Ordinance, 1983 marine fisheries.
Ministry of Shipping Merchant Shipping Implementation and enforcement of IMO conventions. Maritime
Ordinance, 1983 administration including ship inspection, survey and certification.

Ministry of Water Bangladesh Water Act, Implementation of integrated coastal zone management.
Resources 2013
Port Authorities Chittagong Port Authority Prevention of marine pollution in port areas
Ordinance, 1976 .Mongla Port Authority
Ordinance, 1976

Coast Guard The Coast Guard Act, Law enforcement actions, specially against marine pollution
2016 and illegal fishing.
Challenges
 Administration of SoNG conferred solely on the Forest Department.
 Forest Department also seriously lacks the capacity to deal with technical issues related to
management of MPA.
 The lack of resources (both financial and technological) of the Forest Department.
 Non-involvement of the Coast Guard in implementing the MPA.
 Institutional deficiencies and lack of interagency cooperation.
 Illegal and destructive fishing.
 Marine pollution.
 Global issues, such as the impact of climate change, ocean warming, ocean acidification,
ocean deoxygenation.
 Regional issues, such as increasing salinity due to withdrawal of freshwaters from the
transboundary rivers.
Recommendations
 A fully developed long term management plan for SoNG.
 Providing adequate resources to the relevant agencies.
 Interagency cooperative arrangements for management of the
Marine Protected Area.
 Engagement of stakeholders.
 Implementation of international marine environmental law.
 Taking necessary initiative to make the SoNG MPA practically
operational.
Conclusion
the amount of natural and biological resources of Bangladesh at the SoNG
has not yet been surveyed properly, but the presence of it is evident in every
way. As a result it was declared as first marine protected area of Bangladesh.
However establishment of an MPA is only the first step; the more challenging
and important part is proper management and enforcement of conservation
measures. The Bangladesh government is yet to ensure these for the SoNG-
MPA. Urgent initiatives for ensuring proper management of the SoNG-MPA
are required. At the same time there are huge research scopes to know and
understand the full functionality,biodiversity and impact of Swatch of No
Ground.

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