India on alert after Sunderbans oil spill

Risingbd Desk: Environmental authorities in India are on alert after thousands of litres of oil spilled into a nature reserve in neighbouring Bangladesh.

Conservation chief Pradeep Vyas said "precautions" were being taken in West Bengal`s coastal region.

Oil leaked into waterways in the Sundarbans area after a collision involving a tanker three days ago.

Officials say it is already harming the region`s wildlife, which includes two endangered dolphin species.

"We are taking all precautionary measures," Mr Vyas, additional director of India`s Sundarban Biosphere Reserve, told Reuters on Friday.

Footage shows Bangladeshi villagers scooping oil from rivers using pots and pans and sponges, and birds covered in black liquid in the Sundarbans mangrove forest in south-west Bangladesh.

The oil spilled after a tanker carrying 350,000 litres (77,000 gallons) collided with another vessel, spreading a sheen across 60km of waterways.

The Sunderbans is a Unesco heritage site, home to many rare species.

The oil leaked into the river at a sanctuary for rare dolphins.

Environmentalists have expressed concern that the impact on wildlife could be disastrous.

But government officials say they still cannot give an assessment of the likely damage.

The UN on Thursday called for a complete ban on all commercial vessels using the waterways of the Sunderbans.

The Bangladeshi navy initially sent four ships to deal with the spill, and planned to use chemicals to disperse the oil.

But it was unclear whether the chemicals could be used, amid fears they could cause further damage.

"This catastrophe is unprecedented in the Sundarbans and we don`t know how to tackle this," Amir Hosain, chief forest official of the Sundarbans, told AFP news agency.

"We`re worried about its long-term impact, because it happened in a fragile and sensitive mangrove ecosystem."

Source: BBC

Risingbd/Dec 13, 2014/Mukul