Bangladesh bans boats to protect forest
Print Edition
BANGLADESH yesterday banned boats from sailing through a key southwestern river after a ship loaded with coal capsized, threatening the sanctuaries of rare dolphins in the world’s largest mangrove forest.
Authorities imposed the ban after the ship sank in the Shela river on Saturday carrying over a thousand tons of coal, raising fears for two sanctuaries of endangered Irrawaddy and Ganges river dolphins and the ecology of the Sundarbans forest.
“We have decided to ban all types of naval movement at the Shela river indefinitely,” said shipping secretary Ashok Madhob Roy, adding that ships will be rerouted to another channel on the edge of the forest.
Bangladesh suspended cargo boat transport through the river in 2014 after a catastrophic oil spill that damaged the Sundarbans, and triggered concerns for the forest’s dolphins and other endangered animals including Bengal tigers.
The suspension was lifted under pressure from local trade groups, which said the Shela must be open for cargo vessels to ensure the supply of industrial goods and food-grains.
Officials said the hull of the vessel that sank was cracked.
“The sunken coal could pose a grave threat to the aquatic biodiversity of the Sundarbans,” said forest conservator Zahir Uddin Ahmed.
“If the coal contains too much sulfur and if it dissolves into the water, then it is a dire concern,” Ahmed said.
“The effect of oil spillage from the ship could also be damaging.”
Spread over 10,000 square kilometers, the Sundarbans is the world’s largest mangrove forest and the core part of it is a UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site. It is also said to be the South Asian nation’s largest protection against tsunamis and cyclones.
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