Shipping threatens home of Bengal Tigers
DHAKA, Bangladesh: Toxic chemical pollution in the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world, is threatening thousands of marine and forest species and has environmentalists deeply concerned about the future of this World Heritage Site.
Repeated mishaps have already dumped toxic materials like sulfur, hydro- carbons, chorine, magnesium, potassium, arsenic, lead, mercury, nickel, vanadium, beryllium, barium, cadmium, chromium, selenium, radium and many more into the waters. They’re killing plankton – a microscopic organism critical for the survival of marine life inside the wild forest.
Scientific studies warn the sudden drastic fall in the plankton population may affect the entire food chain in the Sundarbans in the near future, starving the life in the rivers and in the forest.
The latest incident involved the sinking of a coal-loaded cargo ship on Apr 14 deep inside the forest, popularly known as the home of the endangered Royal Bengal Tigers, once again outraging environmentalists.
Despite strong opposition by leading environmental organisations vowing to protect the biodiversity in the Sundarbans, which measure about 10,000 square kilometres of forest facing the Bay of Bengal in Bangladesh in South Asia, policy
Repeated mishaps have already dumped toxic materials like sulfur, hydrocarbons, chorine, mercury, nickel, beryllium, barium, cadmium, chromium, selenium, radium and many more into the waters.
makers have largely ignored conservation laws that prioritise protecting the wild-life in the forest.
Critics say influential businessmen backed by politicians are more interested in building industries on cheap land around the forest that lie close to the sea for effortless import of the substances causing the environmental damage.
Divers from the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority ( BIWTA) have traced the latest sunken vessel lying some 30 feet deep underwater, but they have not been able to salvage the ship.
It is the third to have capsised in less than two years in the ecologically sensitive region, some of which remains untouched by human habitation.
The deadliest accident occurred on Dec 9, 2014.
Amid low visibility, an oil tanker collided with a cargo vessel, spilling over 350,000 litres of crude oil into the Shela River, one of the many tributaries that criss- cross the forest – home to rare wildlife species like the Bengal Tiger and Irrawaddy dolphin.
Then, in May 2017, a cargo ship carrying about 500 metric tons of fertiliser sank in the Bhola River in the Sundarbans. In October the same year, a coal-laden vessel carrying an almost equal weight of coal sunk into the meandering shallow Pashur River.
Each time toxic materials pollute the rivers, the government comes up with a consoling statement claiming that the coal has ‘safe’ levels of sulfur and mercury which are the main concern of the environmentalists.
Outraged by official inaction, many leading conservationists expressed their grievances at this “green-washing.”
Sharif Jamil, Joint Secretary of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon or BAPA, told IPS, “I feel ashamed to know that such a scientifically untrue and dishonest statement of one cargo owner (safe level of sulfur and mercury) was endorsed by our government in their reports and acts which significantly damages the credibility of the government and questions the competency of the concerned authorities.” — IPS