Repeated Shipwrecks Threatened Biodiversity and the Environment in the Sundarbans

 

Lighter cargo ships are sinking one after another in the Sundarbans and its surrounding rivers. Due to the impact of climate change, the biodiversity and environment of the Sundarbans is under threat. However, the environmental groups and conscious people are increasingly worried about the sinking of the ship and because of this in the Sundarbans, which is a part of the world heritage, has now become a wreck of scrap or expired ships. The sinking of lighter cargo ships in rivers around the Sundarbans is nothing new, the number of shipwrecks has risen alarmingly since September 2014. In less than 10 years, more than a dozen cargo lighter ships have sunk in the river, the world's largest protected forest. These sunken ships and goods are not being rescued quickly as the Sundarbans and Mongla Port authorities do not have any rescue vessels. Furnace oil, fertilizer, coal, raw materials for making cement, clinker, slag, gypsum are scattering in these sunken ships and the spread of these toxins threatens the biodiversity and environment of the mangroves in the Sundarbans. The rivers of the Sundarbans are rapidly filling up with silt due to non-lifting of many sinking lighter ships and the fish, various animals, biodiversity and environment of the Sundarbans are under long term threat.

Recently, a bulkhead ship named MV Fardin carrying coal sank at Mongla port in Bagerhat. According to media reports, the ship sank after colliding with another foreign ship on November 15, 2021 on its way to Dhaka after loading 600 tons of coal from a foreign ship named MV Elinabi located in Harbaria No. 9 area. Earlier, a lighter cargo ship named MV Beauty of Lohagarah-2 sank in the fairway buoy Dublar area of Mongla port adjacent to Sundarbans in Bay of Bengal on the night of October 9, 2021 with 1200 metric tons of rock. Earlier, a lighter cargo ship MV Ifsia Mahin carrying 400 metric tons of coal sank in the Pashur channel of Mongla port on March 30, 2021. In addition, on the night of February 27, 2021, a coal-laden ship MV BB-1148 sank in the Pashur Channel at Mongla Port. About 750 metric tons of coal inside the ship got mixed in the river water. The sinking of these lighter cargo ships carrying coal one after another near the Sundarbans has once again threatened the biodiversity and environment of the Sundarbans.

Environmental experts fear huge damage to the aquatic, forest and animal resources of the Sundarbans. According to the Bangladesh Environmental Movement (BAPA), "The sinking of a coal-laden ship is wreaking havoc on the biodiversity of the Sundarbans. Since coal, fertilizers, oils, etc. are poisonous and harmful substances, these are adversely affecting the food cycle, starting from the reproduction of aquatic animals. The authorities concerned are not taking any action even though the ships loaded with coal, oil and fertilizer are constantly sinking. "

According to the East Sundarbans Division of Bagerhat, the Sundarbans was the first major disaster in August 1994 when an oil tanker sank in the Banishanta area of the Pashur Channel near the Sundarbans. Its toxic oil spreads over an area of 20 sq km. Then, on July 1, 1998, an oil-carrying lighter cargo ship crashed near the port of Mongla, spilling oil into the Pashur channel, and the Sundarbans fell into another catastrophe. On August 10 of the same year, another oil-carrying lighter cargo crashed at Mazhar Point, spilling oil into the Sundarbans.

In the Sundarbans, the sinking of cargo lighters in the river is nothing new, but since September 2014, the number of shipwrecks has increased at an alarming rate. On 12 September of that year, a lighter ship MV Hajera-2 sank with 630 metric tons of raw material for making cement in the Pashur channel of Mongla port in the eastern Sundarbans. On September 30 of the same year, a lighter ship MV Nayan Shri-3 sank in the East Sundarbans with 600 metric tons of cement-making raw material in the Pashur channel of Mongla port. On November 24 of the same year, a three-storey passenger launch 'MV Shahidut' sank in Harintana area of East Sundarbans. On December 9 of the same year, an oil tanker named OT Southern Star-6 sank with 3.5 lakh liters of furnace oil in the Shyala river in East Sundarbans division and when 3.5 lakh liters of furnace oil is spread over an area of about 50 sq km of rivers and forests, the Sundarbans is in most crisis. The incident has caused widespread concern at home and abroad and at that time, a team of UN expert panels rushed to the mangroves to protect the biodiversity of the Sundarbans.

Then on May 5, 2015, a lighter ship loaded with fertilizer named MV Jabale Noor sank when the floor burst in the Maravola river in the eastern Sundarbans division and 500 metric tons of potash fertilizer is dissolved in the river water of Sundarbans. On October 27 of the same year, a lighter ship named MB Ziaraj sank in the Sundarbans with 510 metric tons of coal in the Pashur channel of Mongla port.

On March 19, 2016, a lighter ship named MVC Horse-1 sank in the Shyala river of East Sundarbans division with 1,235 metric tons of coal and on 13 January 2017, a lighter ship named MV Aichgati, carrying 1,000 tons of coal, sank at the mouth of the Pashur Channel at Mongla Port in the Sundarbans. On June 5 of the same year, another lighter ship named MV Seba sank in the Sundarbans with 825 metric tons of cement raw material slag in the Pashur channel of Mongla port. In addition, on 15 April 2018, a lighter ship MV Bilas carrying 750 metric tons of coal sank in the Sundarbans at Harbaria on the Pashur River in the Mongla Port Channel.

After each shipwreck in the Sundarbans, an investigation committee was formed by the Forest Department and according to the report, the main channel of the rivers in the Sundarbans is not known for sailing ships, unfit expired ships, unlicensed incompetent pilots due to unloading of ships in the Sundarbans and cracks in the bottom of the ships. In fact, due to the lack of supervision of the Department of Shipping, these expired lighter ships have been transporting goods and caused widespread shipwreck alarmingly. Although the Sundarbans Forest Department has filed a case in the court after determining the initial loss of biodiversity including forest aquatic life after each shipwreck, none of it has yet to be settled. On the other hand, the rivers of the Sundarbans are filling up with silt as many lighter ships that have sunk have not been lifted.

Expressing deep concern over the sinking of one lighter ship after another in the Sundarbans, environmentalists said that the river channels of this forest have now become a wreck of sinking ships due to lack of control over the passage of expired vessels in the rivers and rivers of Mongla port in the Sundarbans. So much so that the biodiversity of the Sundarbans, including the respiratory roots of the trees, the endangered Irrawaddy, 6 species of dolphins, hundreds of species of fish and aquatic animals are being severely damaged and engendered. Due to the sinking of cargo lighter ships in the Sundarbans, the water of the mangroves is getting polluted. As a result, hundreds of species of fish in the Sundarbans, including aquatic animals and biodiversity is being lost. The loss of biodiversity in the Sundarbans would have been much less if the authorities concerned had been able to recover the sunken ships and cargo within a short time after the accident.

The Sundarbans is a vast forest on the coast of the Bay of Bengal, one of the natural wonders of the world. It is the single largest mangrove forest in the world. The Sundarbans, rich in biodiversity, is one of the fascinators destinations in the map of the world. It is the favorite habitat of the Royal Bengal Tiger, a symbol of valor. The Sundarbans, which is the pride of the country, stands proudly in the face of natural calamities like Cyclone Sidr, Aila, Fani and Bulbul. The largest mangrove forest in South America Amazon is called the lungs of the world and the Sundarbans is called the lungs of Bangladesh and South Asia. But due to the negligence of the Sundarbans man-made biodiversity and the environment is under extreme threat today. Sometimes in fires, sometimes ships sink and sometimes the forest trees is being cut down indiscriminately on various pretexts.

Researchers say the Sundarbans is one of the major sources of biodiversity and environmental protection. During the time of Sidr, Aila and Bulbul, the Sundarbans acted as a human shield, but the existence of the Sundarbans and such natural forests is under threat due to some man-made causes and the Rampal coal-fired power plant to be built next to the Sundarbans has become a 'blow to the ground', a UNESCO World Heritage Site. If this continues, it will not take long for the only natural shield Sundarbans to be lost. For this, besides making everyone aware, the government should also come forward to protect the Sundarbans. In order to sustain the success of disaster response, we need to be more vigilant and vigilant, including stopping shipping inside of the forest to protect the Sundarbans.


Md Zillur Rahaman is a Banker and Freelance Columnist