Reopening of Shela Route

WE are concerned over the government's decision to reopen the Shela route defying the recommendations of environmentalists and UN experts following the spillage of 358,000 litres of furnace oil in the Sundarbans area.

We have noted with increasing apprehension the authorities' lackluster attitude towards the protection of the Sundarbans prior to and since the oil spill took place and spread over a vast area of the largest mangrove forest in the world, endangering its flora and fauna. The decision to reopen the Shela route, in spite of opposition from the Forest Department itself, signals a continuation of its refusal to prioritise the Sundarbans. The decision also violates the Bangladesh Environmental Conversation Act (2010) which prohibits the operation of commercial vessels through the forest.

Although the shipping ministry has stated that vessels will ply the Shela river in a “controlled” manner, and that no oil tanker or coastal ships will be allowed through the channel, the concerns about the extent to which this will be implemented cannot be brushed aside. The ministry also claimed that the dredging of Mongla-Ghasiakhali channel will be completed by next June. However, the fact that only 7% work has been completed so far -- the Shela route having been opened as an alternative to this channel in 2011 -- the timeframe seems overly-optimistic at best.

We urge the government to complete the dredging as a matter of top priority and ensure that no oil tanker or coastal ships can pass through the channel in the meantime. In the long-run, however, the government must prohibit the operation of commercial vessels through the Sundarbans.