S M Mizanur Rahamn : The flora and fauna of some area of the Chittagong district will be in danger if the furnace oil from three sunken oil tankers in a canal in Boalkhali upazila continues to spill over fresh areas.Voicing grave concern over the oil spill, water and environment experts suggested the government to immediately deploy persons specialized on the subject to quickly clean up the oil and oil slick to save the biodiversity of area. They said instead of forming a probe body and finding out the reasons, the government should immediately address the issue. According to railway sources, each of the wagons was carrying around 25,000 litres of furnace oil. “As oil from the sunken tankers continued to spread to the adjacent areas and the Karnaphuli River, it is a serious threat to the environment,” Manzoorul Kibria, an Environment Expert and Associate Professor of Zoology Department of Chittagong University told The New Nation on Sunday.He added the oil spill has already started affecting the process of oxygen getting dissolved in the water. “As oil is flowing into the Karnaphuli River through the canal, the Halda River, the country’s fish breeding place is in danger now. From plankton to fishes — all will be affected by this oil spillage,” Manzoorul Kibria, who also works on Halda River said. He said the government should take immediate step to stop the oil spill using banana plants and hay. “The oil slick is quickly spreading to vast areas due to tides. Oil slick covered all around the spot where oil tankers fell into canal. The oil not only spread to around 20 kilometres area of the canal, it also entered nearby vegetable fields and water bodies due to the tide,” added the expert.Iqbal Habib, Member Secretary of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) said as layers of oil and oil slick are visible on the water in different parts of the canal and the Karnaphuli River, the situation may take a serous turn. “The more time it will take to clear the spilled oil it will engulf more fresh areas with the high-tide and ebb, threatening the existence of the whole area and its natural resources,” he said.He urged the concerned authorities to take quick measures to contain the oil spill and contamination of the environment and water.Meanwhile, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal lawmaker Moinuddin Khan Badal on Sunday told the Parliament that he did not get ‘help’ from government officials when he tried to arrange for controlling the oil spill at Boalkhali.He expressed resentment over the government’s ‘inaction’ to remove the oil immediately from the canal. Three of the derailed tanker wagons plunged into the canal following the collapse of a railway bridge in Kitabchar area. Two of them sank in the canal. A third was partially submerged while a fourth one had tilted sideways. Movement of trains, that ply the route, still remained suspended.Meanwhile, Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation will pay Tk 30 for buying per litre of oil spilled from three sunken wagons, said Deputy Commissioner of Chittagong Md Mejbah Uddin on Sunday while visiting the spot, Kitabchar.
