Environmental threat of sunken ship in Meghna

The oil from the sunken ship in Bhola is spreading over the vast area of Meghna. Fishermen are unable to catch fish from the river due to the pungent smell of oil. Environmental activists fear that the environment may be seriously damaged due to oil spillage in a large area of Meghna. According to media sources, recently on December 25, 2022 at around 4 pm in the morning near Tulatuli in Sadar Upazila of Bhola, on the way to Chandpur with oil from Chittagong in Meghna river, another vessel coming from behind hit the lighter vessel Sagar Nandini-2 under the thick fog and the vessel overturned and drowned in the river. A sand trawler came to rescue the oil tanker after it partially sank after a hole near the rear engine room caused water to enter and the people on board screamed. Most of the 11.34 lakh liters of octane and diesel in the ship spilled into the Meghna.

According to a BBC report, since the accident, a Coast Guard team has been working to remove the spilled oil in the river. However, if the oil contained in the undamaged tankers somehow escapes, the river's biodiversity is feared to be severely damaged.

The BBC report also says that the rivers surrounding Bhola, especially the Meghna, have hilsa roaming almost everywhere. Although it is not the fishing season, it is still a prime breeding ground for hilsa. According to World Fish data, 86 percent of the world's total hilsa is produced in Bangladesh and among the districts of Barisal division, Bhola produces the most hilsa. In the last financial year, about 190,000 tons of hilsa was obtained from this region. Although Bhola is an island district, it is surrounded by rivers. But mainly the Meghna River spreads north and east of Bhola and both rivers merge into the Bay of Bengal. Again, a joint study by a group of researchers from Chittagong University and Shahjalal University of Science and Technology in Bangladesh has said that the presence of hilsa is more in the Meghna basin, because their useful food plants and water particles are more in rivers and estuaries.
 According to them, only two percent of Bangladesh's hilsa production comes from the Padma River. Besides, large and tasty hilsa mostly comes from Meghna basin. Again, a large amount of plant matter floats in the Meghna throughout the year and goes to the sea through the Meghna. Because of this, groups of hilsa roam the Meghna estuary throughout the year for food. Due to these reasons, many people fear that if the oil spreads more in the water, it can be a disaster for the fish. Fisheries experts said the oil would cause huge damage to fish eggs and food, and therefore measures needed to be taken to remove the oil quickly.

Sinking of oil and cargo ships in the rivers of Bangladesh is not new. The biodiversity and environment of the Sundarbans and the coastal areas of the Bay of Bengal are already under severe threat due to the impact of climate change. On top of that, the incidents of sinking ships for a few days are increasing the concern of environmental groups and conscious people. It is known that on November 15, 2021, a foreign ship called MV Elinabi, located in Harbaria 9 area of Sundarban area, loaded 600 tons of coal and left for Dhaka, collided with another foreign ship and sank. Earlier, a lighter cargo ship named MV Beauty of Lohagra-2 sank on the night of October 9, 2021 in the area of Fairway Boya Dublar of Mongla Port adjacent to the Sundarbans in the Bay of Bengal with 1200 metric tons of stones. Earlier, a lighter cargo vessel named MV Ifsia Mahin carrying 400 metric tons of coal sank in the Pashu Channel of Mongla Port on Tuesday, March 30, 2021. Besides, coal-carrying ship MV BB-1148 sank on the night of February 27, 2021 in Pashur Channel of Mongla Port. About 750 metric tons of coal inside the ship got mixed in the river water. The sinking of these cargo ships one after another has again threatened the biodiversity and environment of the southern region. In fact, since September 2014, the number of shipwrecks in the rivers of the southern part of the country has increased at an alarming rate. In less than 10 years, more than a dozen cargo-laden lighter ships have sunk in the Sundarbans rivers, rich in animal diversity, along the Bay of Bengal. Furnace oil, fertiliser, coal, raw materials for making cement, clinker, slag, gypsum in these sunken ships are spreading. As a result of the spread of these toxic substances, the fauna, biodiversity and environment of the riverine areas of the southern region are threatened.

Environmental experts fear massive loss of aquatic, forest and animal resources due to sinking of these ships one after another. According to the Bangladesh Environment Movement (Bangladesh Paribesh Andolan- BAPA), "The sinking of ships loaded with oil, fertilizer and coal is causing a serious disaster for the environment, wildlife and biodiversity. Since coal, fertilizers, oil etc. are chemical poisons and harmful substances, they are adversely affecting the food cycle from reproduction of aquatic life. The concerned authorities are not taking any action even though ships loaded with coal, oil and fertilizers are sinking every now and then.�

Environmental experts have expressed deep concern over the sinking of ships one after another in the river, saying that due to the lack of regulation of outdated and reckless ship traffic, the rivers have now become a wreckage of sinking ships. In this way, there is a huge loss in the reproduction of aquatic animals including hundreds of species of fish and biodiversity including the breathing roots of the trees on the shores of the Bay of Bengal. The green belt area along the Bay of Bengal is already rich in biodiversity. Researchers say that these mangrove forests are one of the strengths of biodiversity and environmental protection. During Sidor, Ayla and Bulbul, these mangroves have acted as a protective shield for human beings, but due to some man-made disasters and neglect, the existence of these fauna and natural forests is under threat. Although the oil tanker has been rescued, there is fear of massive damage to the hilsa fish sanctuary due to the spilled oil. At the same time, there is a danger that the existence of fauna, environment and natural forests will be threatened.

-    Md Zillur Rahaman, Banker and columnist
�The BBC report also says that the rivers surrounding Bhola, especially the Meghna, have hilsa roaming almost everywhere. Although it is not the fishing season, it is still a prime breeding ground for hilsa. According to World Fish data, 86 percent of the world's total hilsa is produced in Bangladesh and among the districts of Barisal division, Bhola produces the most hilsa. In the last financial year, about 190,000 tons of hilsa was obtained from this region�