Rise in tourism could take its toll on Saint Martin’s, the only coral reef island of the country. Faced with an environmental crisis, efforts were made to construct brick structures on the initiative of the government. However, the plan did not succeed.
"The beauty of the island could diminish forever if steps are not taken immediately", Prof. Syed Rashidul Hasan, tourism researcher and expert, told The Independent recently.
Hasan, quoting a study on tourism of Dhaka University Department of Trouism and Hospitality, said the arrival and departure of tourists, that is, the "tourism-carrying capacity" of the island, have to be calculated.
According to government data, around 7,000 people stay on the 8 square kilometre long St. Martin’s Island. However, local 6 No. St. Martin's Union chairman, Nur Ahmed, claims the population exceeds 10,000.
Under the present circumstances, the island has the capacity to tolerate a maximum of 2,000 tourists a day. Hasan said tourists exceeding this capacity could bring disaster to the tourist destination.
The Bangladesh environment department is thinking about controlling the number of tourists visiting the island.
Mohammad Solaiman Haider, director (planning) of the Department of Environment (DoE) and in charge of the island, told The Independent: "It would have been good if we could put a stop to tourism there, but that is not possible at the moment. So, the next best option is to limit tourism activities to protect the island. The government is working on this aspect."
The land area of the island measures 8 square km during low-tide and 5 square km during high-tide. It has three parts—the north, south and the centre, which is known as Golachipa as it resembles a throat. The North side is the most populated.
"Tourism-carrying capacity" is defined by the World Tourism Organisation as “the maximum number of people that may visit a tourist destination at the same time, without causing destruction of the physical, economic, socio-cultural environment and an unacceptable decrease in the quality of visitors' satisfaction”.
Most of the tourist accommodation units, shopping centre and port are located on the north side.
There are some cottages in Golachipa built by the Navy. Only a few people live on this side. Most of the coconut trees and cultivable land are here too. The south side is still a "Restricted Access Zone".
During a visit to the island, this correspondent saw banners of real-estate developers everywhere. Even the land of limited access zone have been sold. Experts have called it "a bad omen".
The Youth Environment Society (YES), a local voluntary organisation of Cox’s Bazar, conducted a survey on hotel and resorts on St. Martin's Island. That report has published a list of 160 resorts including ones that are under construction.
During trouism season, six ships carry tourists to the island. Although each of these has the capacity to carry about 1,000 passenger, they take on board around 9,000 to 10,000 tourists in every single trip during the peak season.
The large number of tourists, which is more than the capacity of St. Martin's Island, is affecting the island’s ecology. Slowly but surely the overload is destroying the coral island.
Rashed-Un-Nabi, professor at the Institute of Marine Sciences and Fisheries, Chittagong University, said in some places of St Martin's stones can be found only 10 to 12 feet below. Thus, if so many buildings are constructed on the island, it may develop cracks. Even the layer of stone can be broken, he cautioned.
The DoE declared Saint Martin's Island as an "Ecologically Critical Area (ECA)" in 1995. A gazette notification of the government was published on June 29, 1999 in this regard. As a result, the government directed that no construction could be carried out on Saint Martin's without approval of the authorities.
Although experts have urged the government to take stern measures to protect the island. But the DoE has said that it is not possible because of the demand of tourists.
Dr Md Nasir Uddin, chief executive officer of the Bangladesh Tourism Board (BTB), told The Independent that they were trying to ensure facilities for the visitors after preserving the natural beauty of the island.
Author : Tareque Moretaza
পিরোজপুরের ছেলে মহসিন আহমেদ বলছেন, গুণগত শিক্ষার মাধ্যমে সমাজে ইতিবাচক পরিবর্তন আনা সম্ভব। তিনি পথ শিশু ও নারী শিক্ষার আলো পিরোজপুরে এবং ধীরে ধীরে সারা দেশে ছড়িয়ে দিতে চান। 
