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Oil spill in Bangladesh threatens wildlife
Topic Started: 16 Dec 2014, 01:09 AM (39 Views)
skibboy
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Oil spill in Bangladesh threatens wildlife

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© STR, AFP | Oil from a Bangladeshi oil-tanker on the Shela River

2014-12-15

Authorities in Bangladesh were urgently assessing environmental damage in one of the world’s largest mangrove forests on Friday after an oil tanker sank, threatening wildlife in the UNESCO World Heritage site, officials and local media said.

The oil tanker carrying more than 350,000 liters (92,500 gallons) of bunker oil sank Tuesday on a major river flowing through the Sundarbans after being hit by a cargo vessel.

Officials said Friday the slick had spread over up to 70 kilometers (45 miles) of the Shela river, a major sanctuary for aquatic animals in the Sundarbans.

At least 20 canals connected with the Shela as well as another major river, Pashur, have also been affected.

The oil spill is threatening several types of animals including rare Irrawaddy dolphins, a senior official of the Bangladesh Forest Department said.

“The risk of damage to the biodiversity is high but we have yet to confirm any deaths of major animals including dolphins and crocodiles,” said Tapan Kumer Dey, chief conservator of forest wildlife.

The sunken oil tanker was salvaged Thursday, more than 30 hours after it sank, and two of its six containers were badly damaged, said M. Giasuddin, an official of the company that owns the vessel.

He said it was not clear whether all of the oil had spilled into the water.

Some news reports said more than 200,000 liters (52,800 gallons) of oil had contaminated waters in the Sundarbans.

“Several teams are desperately trying to determine the immediate impact. We are closely monitoring the situation as this is a major disaster,” Dey said.

“We have spotted dolphins coming out of the water for air and going down again in some places,” he said. “Crocodiles’ movement in the affected areas has been less after the disaster and we are trying to determine actually what happened to them.”

Dhaka’s Daily Star newspaper said oil has covered grasses and other plants on the banks of the rivers.

It quoted a local resident as saying that he spotted two dead animals, a monitor lizard and an otter.

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skibboy
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18 December 2014

UN sends team to clean up Bangladesh oil spill

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© AFP/File | An oil spill from a Bangladeshi oil-tanker is seen on the Shela River in Mongla on December 12, 2014

DHAKA (AFP) - The United Nations said Thursday it has sent a team of international experts to Bangladesh to help clean up the world's largest mangrove forest, more than a week after it was hit by a huge oil spill.

Thousands of litres of oil have spilt into the protected Sundarbans mangrove area, home to rare Irrawaddy and Ganges dolphins, after a tanker collided with another vessel last Tuesday.

A team from the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) has arrived in the capital Dhaka to support Bangladesh's "cleanup efforts of the oil spill in the Sundarbans", a statement from the UN said.

Experts have slammed authorities for failing to organise a proper clean-up effort of the oil spill, which has now spread 350 square kilometres (135 square miles) inside the delicate mangrove forest area.

Until now, the forest department was relying on villagers and fishermen to scoop up the thick tar from the water and river banks with sponges and pans.

The UN team will help in the "ground work in coordination with the government" and "will also conduct an assessment and advise on recovery and risk reduction measures", it said, adding the team had been sent in response to a request from Bangladesh.

The European Union and United States, Britain and France are supporting the UN effort, it added.

The UN expressed concern over the disaster, urging Dhaka to impose a "complete ban" on the movement of commercial vessels through the 10,000 square kilometres ( 3,850 square miles) forest that straddles the border between Bangladesh and India and is home to a number of rare animals including the endangered Bengal tigers and Irrawaddy dolphins.

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