& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Significant impact on ecosystem

Forecasts BD-UN joint report on Sundarbans oil spill

Staff Correspondent
The last year's oil-spill may have left "significant non-observable acute impacts to the forest and wildlife population" of the Sundarbans, observes the Bangladesh-UN Joint Sundarbans Oil Spill Response Team.
The team, in its detailed report submitted to the environment and forest ministry yesterday, also presented 10-point recommendations to deal with the fallouts of the spill on environment and affected communities and to reduce risks of such incidents in future.
Referring to its primary findings released on December 31 last year stating the spill had "limited impacts" on the biodiversity of the largest mangrove forest in the world, the 107-page report said the possible impacts were not observable during the rapid assessment.
The long-term effects on livelihoods, food security and health cannot be assessed in the allocated time for this rapid assessment, it said.
Oil tanker Southern Star-7 sank in the Shela river on December 9 spilling over 3.58 lakh litres of furnace oil, of which only 65.2 thousand litres was scooped up manually by the local communities, the report adds.
The team of experts from nine countries representing several UN organisations, government agencies and academics visited the Sundarbans for six days, two weeks after the spill.
It suggested the government to develop an action plan specifying all stakeholders, timelines and necessary resources and to conduct mid- and long-term monitoring; and recommended improvements in national oil spill preparedness and response, and in vessel traffic management through the forest.
The other recommendations include adoption and enactment of a national oil contingency plan and national oil pollution response regulations in accordance with international best practices, supporting locals who took part in oil collection and cleaning operation with health check-ups, and initiating a community health monitoring programme.
It also advised the government to "implement its obligations under the International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation (OPRC) Convention it has ratified and consider ratification of further international conventions related to oil pollution".
On aquatic resources, the report suggests midterm monitoring after six months of the spill and long-term monitoring for two years.
The mission also suggests monitoring mangrove system of spill-affected plants during the monsoon to see how the rains aid in flushing the remaining oil from the oil-soaked plants.