Staff Reporter :
The United Nations (UN) team on Tuesday morning started their work in the Sundarbans to clean up the oil spillage and assess the damages caused by the oil tanker capsized in Shela River in the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest on December 9.
The 25-member team of the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC), comprising both foreign and local experts, reached Mongla Port in Bagherhat on Monday afternoon. Staying overnight of Monday at a launch in the Poshur River, the team members visited the affected areas of the Sundarbans at Bagerhat on Tuesday.
Earlier, the advance team of United Nations arrived in Dhaka on Tuesday while the additional team members
arrived later in response to the request of the Bangladesh government. On December 15, the government requested the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to support its (government’s) efforts.
Press Officer of the UNDP Kawsar Ahmed Shaikh Mohammad, who is now staying in Sundarbans with the team, said that the journalists will be informed about the work of the UN team at a press briefing to be held today (Wednesday) morning at the Launch of the team at Mongla Port.
In the press briefing, it will also be informed that how long days the team will continue their work and in which method? The details of the action plan of the expert team will be informed at the press briefing, he added.
Kawsar further said that a press conference will also be arranged in Dhaka tomorrow (Thursday) where the team will make their observations on the environmental disaster due to the oil tanker capsize incident in the Sundarbans. The team will also try to figure out the damage of the incident, he said.
Syed Mehedi Hasan, deputy secretary of the Environment and Forest Ministry, said that the team may stay five days in the Sundarbans. They are now working being divided into six sub-groups, he said.
He also said that after their visit, the team will hold a meeting with the Forest Department and make their observations on the incident.
