ON November 9, a tanker loaded with furnace oil sank near the Sundarbans after being struck by a cargo vessel. It is reported that a thick layer of furnace oil is floating on the Shela and Pasur rivers covering more than 50km area, seriously endangering the aquatic life in the deep water and plants on the shorelines.

Four characteristics of oil spill debris influence the potential for immediate and long term oil migration:

• Oil content

• Water content

• Chemical content

• Biodegradability of solid debris and/or sorbents

Heavy fuel oil, grease, solid paraffins and high molecular weight asphaltenes may migrate or be biologically oxidised before they are evaporated.

Oil collected from the surface of the sea can contain debris such as seaweed, wood, plastic materials of various types, dead birds and animals. Collection and disposal are greatly complicated by the variation in waste composition and appropriate disposal techniques have to be selected for the particular circumstances.

It is crucial for relevant authorities to prepare a national contingency plan for disposal methods, taking into account the possible range of sizes and types of oil spills likely to occur, and the shorelines likely to be involved.

Environmentally and technologically sound disposal of oil spill debris is essential for minimising the environmental damage from an oil spill. Depending on the size and location of the spill, the location of final disposal sites and the storage capacity of emergency storage measures implemented at the site of the spill, longer term interim storage is likely to be necessary at existing waste management depots and landfills.

There were two incidents of oil spills in September, but vessels were still allowed to ply during night, which is reportedly against the law. Forest officials had forewarned the authorities of such accidents, but the authorities did not take the warnings seriously.

In recent days Maldives had a severe fresh water shortage because fire destroyed a plant that had supplied water to 120,000 city-dwellers. Bangladesh, China, India, Saudi Arabia, and Sri Lanka had rushed to help the Maldives from the crisis.

However in the case of Bangladesh, no country has yet offered any assistance to contain the oil spill. We wonder why? In such a disaster cooperative action from other states is necessary because the oil spill would not adversely affect aquatic life of Sundarbans but also other livingorganisms in the Bay of Bengal.