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350-tonne oil spill by Bangladeshi ship threatens Sunderbans -Krishnendu Mukherjee & Rakhi Chakrabarty
-The Times of India

KOLKATA: The fragile Sundarbans region stared at an ecological nightmare after a vessel carrying 350 tonnes of oil crashed, spilling the toxic liquid over an 80-sq-km area along the Sela river in Bangladesh and threatening a sanctuary of rare Irrawaddy and Ganges dolphins.

The site, near Mongla port, is about 100km from the Kolkata port and Indian officials are on alert over the possibility of the oil slick spreading to the Indian side, although that possibility appears remote. Sundarbans, a Unesco world heritage site, has a unique land-marine eco-system which includes the Bengal tiger.

The tanker, Southern Star VII, sank after colliding with another vessel early Tuesday while trying to steer through dense fog. Bangladesh forest officials called the spill, spreading at least 20km every day, an ecological catastrophe.

The accident took place in one of the three dolphin sanctuaries in the area, which is a no-go zone for vessels. Activists and environmentalists said the brackish water shipping route through the Sunderbans violates ecological norms.

News agencies said the slick had quickly spread into smaller channels inside the forest, covering waterways and mudflats. Villagers complained of an overpowering stench and ducks swimming in the floating oil dying.

This could probably be the largest oil spill in the Sunderbans region. The oil tanker carrying fuel from Khulna to Gopalganj had dropped anchor due to poor visibility amid dense fog on Tuesday. Around 5am next day, it was hit by another tanker from behind. The front part of the tanker sank spilling almost the entire oil into the river.

This was the third vessel to sink in the area in last three years. The other two carried fly ash and fertilizer.

Environmentalists said dolphins would be the first to take the hit and will soon start suffocating. The thick layer of oil on the surface of the river will cut down the dissolved oxygen. The coastal mangrove goes under water twice a day in high tide.

Once the water recedes, a thick layer of oil will cover the vegetation and rinse into the soil. Deer survive on this vegetation and tigers feed on them. In the long run, both animals could suffer, environmentalists said.

Every one of the eight-member crew aboard the damaged tanker swam ashore. The tanker's navigator is, however, missing. The vessel that hit the tanker is yet to be traced, said a source. The Bangladesh Navy salvaged the wrecked tanker and towed it ashore on Thursday, 55 hours after it had sunk. The Bangladesh government has lodged a case against the owners of both tankers, said a source.

From Mongla port, vessels earlier plied through the Ghoshiakhali canal bypassing the Sunderbans. However, inadequate dredging has led to heavy silting in the canal leading to the closure of the route, said Monirul Khan, zoology professor at Bangladesh's Jehangirnagar University.

In 2011, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) opened a "temporary" route through the Shela river. The move drew strident protests from environmentalists and also Bangladesh forest officials.

Vessels between Kolkata and Mongla port, too, ply through this route, said a source.

Initially, about 20 oil tankers plied each day. In 2013, 150-250 tankers moved through the Sunderbans route every day, said the source. The route has been suspended for now.

A UNDP team will inspect the area soon. Monirul Khan, who is part of the team, said, "We will submit a preliminary probe report on the oil spill and prepare a final report after a second visit."

Last September, UNESCO had written to the Bangladesh government seeking suspension of the water route through the Sunderbans immediately and asked the government to send a compliance report by February.

The UNESCO had threatened to withdraw its world heritage site tag and list the Sunderabans as endangered world heritage site instead, said a source.

Bangladesh's chief conservator of forest Yunus Ali spent two days near the accident site following the oil spill. "Though it is too early to say anything, I must confess that I could not spot any fish or dolphins in the area," said Ali.

In 2012, Bangladesh had declared the area a dolphin sanctuary, home to about eight species. Besides, salt water crocodiles inhabit the area.

"The dolphin sanctuary will probably be the worst-hit. But, we have to carry out an inspection on the extent of the damage. Small birds that feed on insects and fish, too, will be affected," said Ali. Mangroves, too, are likely to be affected. "Trees along the coastal belt may die soon if the spill is not restricted immediately," said a wildlife activist.

Khan, however, believed the oil spill in the eastern Sunderbans may not impact the coastal ecology of the mangroves on the western side of the delta in India.

Times View

India must immediately offer all help to Bangladesh in containing and cleaning up the oil spill. The Sundarban delta, which straddles both countries, has a fragile ecosystem that's already threatened in multiple ways. A catastrophe of this nature, if allowed to fester, could have disastrous and irreversible consequences for the region. Bangladesh has admitted it doesn't have the resources and expertise to handle a crisis of this magnitude.

That makes it all the more urgent for India to help, and fast. Once the immediate crisis is tackled, both countries must enact and implement laws that bar toxic materials from being transported through the waterways of this world heritage site.