A rise in the salinity of water due to storm surge powered by Cyclone Yaas has created a crisis of drinking water in the Sundarbans.
Forest Department officials believe the number of animals that died due to the storm was smaller than previous years as they had taken shelter on higher grounds during the storm that hit the coasts of India last Wednesday.
The bodies of at least four deer washed up after the cyclone, reports bdnews24.com.
Out of the 54 ponds in the west of the forest, 53 were flooded, leading to a rise in the level of salt, said Abdul Naser Mohsin Hossain, the forest officer for the Sundarbans West Division.
Besides animals and birds, forest officials, fishermen and people who depend on the forest drink water from the ponds.
Mohsin on Friday said five to six feet high tide above the normal level affected Forest Department camps and watchtowers.
Nine ponds were affected in the east division, said Forest Officer Md Belayet Hossain.
