Staff Reporter :
Voicing concern over the oil spill following the capsize of Southern Star 7 oil tanker in the Shela River, water and environment experts have raised question why the vessels had been allowed to ply inside Sundarbans even after objections by the Forest Department some years ago making the world’s largest heritage and Bangladesh’s pride risky? The question has also been raised whether it was an accident or a planned attempt to destroy the world’s largest mangrove forest and its biodiversity?
They suggested the government to announce it a troubled area and employ army and coast guard members to quickly clean up the oil and oil slick to save the biodiversity of the Sundarbans.
Meanwhile Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) on Monday called for permanently shutting down the water routes through the Sundarbans, including the Shela River, which pose a great threat to the wildlife and environment of the world’s largest mangrove forest.
In a statement, TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said the oil tanker capsize in the river of the Sundarbans has exposed how much the environment and wildlife are vulnerable. “The plying of engine-run water vessels through the rivers of the Sundarbans is an utter violation of the national and international rules and standards. The authorities who gave permission to run water vessels through the forest must take the liability of this calamity,” he said.
The TIB executive director said if the government does not take immediate steps to cancel the river routes of the Sundarbans, the forest will lose its recognition as the world heritage site soon. “As the government did not take proper measures to protect the Sundarbans despite the demand of the country’s people and the concern of the international organisations, including UNESCO and Ramsar Convention, this accident occurred.”
Observing that the government must take responsibility of the environmental disaster occurred in the Sundarbans, Dr Iftekharuzzaman said if necessary, it must take technical support from the international community to remove oil slick from the rivers of the Sundarbans and effective measures to cancel river routes to save the world’s largest mangrove forest.
The water and environmental experts also questioned the role of relevant authorities as well as the government in safeguarding the world’ largest mangrove forest. They said that the Ministry of Shipping should be held responsible for the capsize of the oil tanker. They also questioned about carrying the oil in the sand-carrying vessel.
Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Executive Director of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), said that the oil tanker was plying ignoring the objections of the Forest Department. She said that action can be taken against the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), along with the owners of vessels involved, due to disobedience the law and the objections.
The BIWTA had allowed vessels to use the alternative route of Shela River ignoring the objections. About three years ago, the Forest Department asked the Ministry of Shipping to stop the movement of vessels in the Sundarbans. The department in 2011 wrote a letter to the BIWTA, which runs under the ministry, directing them to stop the movement of vessels.
Asked why the vessels’ movement was continuing despite the objections, Divisional Forest Officer in the east zone Amir Hossain Chowdhury said that the BIWTA is allowing the movement of vessels in the Sundarns, as they do not care the mangrove forest.
Raising the question for allowing the vessels’ movement, water and environmental scientist Dr Anjuman Islam said that how it was possible to ply the vessels even after the objections? A devastating disaster is waiting unless it is possible to remove the spilled oil from the Sundarbans’ rivers and channels, he said.
Bangladesh Paribesh Andolan (POBA) and some other organisations at a press conference in Khulna on Monday said that the government is negligent about the Sundarbans.
Expressing annoyance for not following the direction of the Forest Department, leaders of the platforms said that all types of vessels in the Sundarbans has to be stopped. They also expressed annoyance for not taking immediate initiative following the incident.
The other organisations demanded of the government taking exemplary punishment to the relevant departments for allowing the route for the movement of the oil vessels and making irreparable damage to the forest and biodiversity. They also demanded legal action against the ship responsible for the accident and compensation for the huge loss.
Meanwhile, after five days of the incident, police seized cargo ship that hit tanker in Shela River. It was seized from Narayanganj. Narayanganj’s Superintendent of Police Khandakar Mahid Uddin said four of the crew along with the vessel were arrested early hours on Monday from Bandar Upazila’s Laxmankhola area. Those arrested were the ship’s captain ‘Mostafa’, 53, assistant captain Faruk Hossain, 34, Akkas Hossain, 28 and Piyar Ali, 28.
