Sundarban forms the southern part of the Gangetic delta between
the Hooghly River in the west in India and the Meghna
River in the east in Bangladesh. It is a system of islands formed
by deposition of silt and sand where the River Ganga meets
the Bay of Bengal. It spreads over an area of 20,400 km2
of
which two-third belongs to Bangladesh, and one-third belongs
to India spreading over North and South 24 Parganas District
of West Bengal State. There are 102 islands in Indian part of
Sundarban which are crisscrossed by innumerable canals,
creeks and tributaries of which 54 islands have human habitation
encompassing 19 Development Blocks (13 under South 24
Parganas and 6 under North 24 Parganas District). Sundarban
constitutes a special forest eco-system known as mangrove
eco-system found at the coastal areas of the tropical and subtropical
regions of the world. Extremely poor communication,
transportation and conveyance facilities make the region almost
inaccessible during the rainy season. Maintenance and
strengthening of embankments are the basic requirements for
supporting the lives of this deltaic region.