Oil spill poses no major threat to Sundarbans: Forest minister
The oil spill in the Sundarbans posed no major threat to the world’s largest mangrove forest, Environment and Forest Minister Anwar Hossain Manju said today.
“We were worried of a huge loss for the Sundarbans. But it did not occur. We will be able to amend the loss, whatever occurred, of the oil tanker capsize immediately,” he added.
The minister was talking to reporters after visiting the Shela river, reportedly the most affected area of the Sundarbans after the oil tanker capsized with 3.58 lakh litres of furnace oil.
He was accompanied with Kartik Chandra Sarkar, conservator of Sundarbans Forest Department, and Amir Husain Chowdhury, deputy forest officer of Sundarbans east zone.
Minister Manju also asked the officials of the Sundarbans Forest Department to work together with the local people to remove the oil spilled in the river.
After the oil tanker capsized on December 9, several quarters expressed deep concerns of the ecological damage to the Sundarbans, a national and international heritage.
A majority of the social media users were on outrage because of the incident and strongly demanded a permanent ban on plying of vessels through the Shela river route.
For days, the banks of the Shela river were drenched in black oil, including the trees. Some animals reportedly died after the incident took place.
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