UN team going to Sundarbans today

Staff Reporter :A team from the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) is already in the capital Dhaka to support Bangladesh’s “clean up efforts of the oil spill in the Sundarbans”.The team comprising officials and experts from different international organisations is likely to leave for the affected areas in the Sundarbans today (Monday).Earlier on Thursday, the United Nations said that it sent a team of international experts to Bangladesh to help clean up the world’s largest mangrove forest, more than a week after it was hit by a huge oil spill.Thousands of litres of oil have spilt into the protected Sundarbans mangrove area, home to rare dolphins, after a tanker collided with another vessel on December 9.”Basically, the UNDP team would try to assess the extent of damage due to the oil spill and suggest what measures can be taken immediately to recover from it. They would also try to figure out if the local community living around the forest needs any support for their livelihood during the interim period,” said an official.Experts have slammed authorities for failing to organise a proper clean-up effort of the oil spill, which has now spread 350 sq km (135 sq m) inside the delicate mangrove forest area.Until now, the forest department was relying on villagers and fishermen to scoop up the thick tar from the water and river banks with sponges and pans.Another supporting team will come to assist the existing team next week, statement from the UN said.On Saturday afternoon, three representatives of the UN delegation held a meeting with officials of the Department of Forest and the Department  of Environment at the auditorium of the DoF office. Later, they met Environment and Forests Minister Anwar Hossain Manju.The UN team is scheduled to visit the affected areas on a boat from Dangmari to Harbaria point in the Pashur River and up to the Harintana forest station, starting from the confluence of the Shela and the Pashur, says a Mongla port source.Meanwhile, Bangladesh Cargo Vessel Owners’ Association and Coastal Ship Owners’ Association of Bangladesh at a press conference in the city on Sunday demanded of the government to allow movement of the vessels in the Sundarbans’ rivers again.President of the association Mahbub Uddin Khokon in a written statement said that the ban on vessels’ movement has hit the traffic at the Chittagong and the Mongla Sea Ports. He said about 200 vessels in the two confluences of Shela River and 12 sea-bound vessels in Chitagong and Mongla ports were trapped with the goods of 2,42,000 metric tones. The Shela river oil spill in the Sundarbans will have a long-term effect on the aquatic life, and food for fish in the water body has already went down by 80 per cent, says a Khulna University study.”If planktons grow less, aquatic species like fish would get less food and it will have an impact on other species dependant on fish,” said Dr Muhammad Abdur Rouf of fisheries and marine resource technology discipline at Khulna University. A 15-member team led by Dr Rouf found in its study that two types of planktons — phytoplankton and zooplankton — have decreased in the river by around 40 per cent and 80 pc respectively.Besides, aquatic species that have failed to migrate must have consumed oil, which will have a negative effect on their life cycle and their population, he added. Some fishermen on Saturday were seen going to the river for netting, but their catch was very low as the Shela, the Pashur and the adjoining canals were still carrying the oil spilled from the tanker.Amir Hossain Chowdhury, divisional forest officer of Sundarbans east zone, said, “Now it is the time for fishing as the spring tide has started in the river. But the catch of the fishermen are very poor.”Meanwhile, two otters were found dead and floating in the Shela River and Chototengra canal on Saturday. After autopsy, furnace oil was found in the mouth cavities of the animals, forest officials said.”Another otter was found dead by a team, formed by the forest department to find out wildlife death due to the oil spill.”Oil was also found in the furs of the dead otters,” said Mafizur Rahman Chowdhury, fisheries officer and member of the probe team.