|
The soil of the region can
be generally classified into five groups depending on
the texture of the soil: (a) clay soil (b) heavy soil (c)
sandy loam (d) sandy and (e) silty soil. The salinity of
the soil is determined by the amount of rainfall
occurred and fresh water received from the upper
catchments area and the salinity of the tidal water
channels from the south. On an average, the entire area
may be divided into low salinity up to 8PPT - northern
part, and high salinity from 8PPT to 20PPT-southern part
of Sundarban.
The soils are fertile owing to continuous
silt deposits. Salinity of surface soils is high during
dry season but is reduced to tolerable limits because of
dilution by the leaching effects of rainwater. The
climate of the Sundarban is subtropical. Temperature
changes from 20°c in December-January to 28°c in June
and July. The annual average rainfall is around 1770 mm.
75% of the rainfall occurs during June and September.
The forest area of
Sundarban region may be divided into two broad
categories: (1) salt water heritiera (2) low mangrove.
The main forest species in Sundarban are Goran, Passur,
Keora, bain, garjan, tora, hental etc. The Sundari [Heritiera
fomes] trees, from which, according to some, the name "Sundarban"
might have been originated, are scarce now. A large part
of the reserved forest areas known as 'Tiger Reserves'
has been declared 'totally protected' and no forestry
operation is allowed there. The most noted species of
the wild life of the region are Royal Bengal Tiger,
Spotted Deer, Wild Boar and Estuarine Crocodiles. |
|
