Today the Government of Bangladesh (BIWTA) has abundant the rescue operation of drowned oil tanker MK Merechan in the Meghna Estuary!
Globally if a lone liter of oil (hydrocarbon) is released in water thepeople /authority of the area of incident starts reducing oil spill byall of their efforts. But whatwe are doing when a large oil tanker
full of thousands of liter of oil sunked and oil spill occurred in ourbiodiversity rich estuary?
Do we have our national Emergency Response Plan, National ContingencyPlan, Equipment, Human Resources and finally “Will and Wishes”?
The decision of withdrawal of rescue operation resulted in utter failure of the Emergency role and responsibilities of the Ministry ofDisaster. Environment, Water Transport Ministry and Others.
We are very serious about our Old Ship-breaking yards but in thisdisastrous case we are so ignorant…
What a shame!
Oil spill is happening very often in Bangladesh. But why we are not prepared? Why we do not have adequate preparedness/responseplan/Logistics?
Now days there are hundreds of packages are readily available tocombat oil spill like biomechanics, Boom, Fire, Absorbents, Skimming,Dilution, Suctioning, Dredging and so on.
The jutex/waste materials of garments industry/…. are low cost absorbent which might be used in booms.
Impacts are unprecedented which will damage the major fish breedingground in Meghna Estuary. The aquatic food-chain will be damaged andwhich will reduce the biomass productivity of fisheries, avifauna,turtles, seabirds and aquatic mammals. The aquatic invertebratepopulation will die enormously.
The impact zone is very long and wide. These will engulf the biota ofcoastal mangroves including several protected areas (nationalpark/shorebird reserve/wildlife sanctuaries) inNijhumDweep/CharKukrimukri/ central coast
I strongly urge the authority to immediately take emergency responseto hault the pollution.
NOT WITHDRWAL……
Author : Dr. Anisuzzaman Khan is a biodiversity Scientist.
