The department of shipping (DoS) has opposed a proposal put forward by the United Nations (UN) to keep the Shela river route closed permanently to the movement of all vessels, officials said.
A team from the World Heritage Centre of the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) visited Sundarbans area in March last and recommended permanent closure of the Shela river to traffic of all vessels. Â
The World Heritage Centre made the recommendation after an oil tanker sank in the Shela river in December 2014, resulting in a spill of 350,000 litres of furnace oil and posing threat to flora and fauna of the largest mangrove forest.
DoS director general M Zakiur Rahman Bhuiyan in a recent letter sent to the Ministry of Shipping (MoS) said since the Bay of Bengal remains very rough during the period between June and September inland vessels cannot operate through the sea coast.
He also wrote that the vessels need to carry fuel to the power plants in south-western districts and fertiliser to southern districts during the period.
"So, vessels which cannot go through Ghashiakhali channel due to draft restriction will have to pass through the Shela River. Therefore, permanent closure of the river needs further consideration," he noted.
After sinking of the oil tanker in the Shela river in Sundarbans, oil spilled to over 350 square kilometres of the forest, a home of rare species of Irrawaddy and Ganges dolphins, more than 250 species of birds, Indian python, and Royal Bengal tigers.
A study carried out by Khulna University (KU) after the incident found that the presence of primary food producers like phytoplankton and zooplankton had decreased significantly in contaminated water of the river.
It said the food chain of aquatic species living in the Sundarbans has faced severe disruption due to the oil spill over the river water.
Just five months after the incident, another vessel carrying 500 tonnes of fertiliser sank in Shela river. The incident also raised concern among the environmentalists saying that the world heritage site may further face destruction caused by chemical fertiliser.
In March this year, yet another vessel carrying 1,235 tonnes of coal sank in the river. Environmentalists who have been demanding a permanent halt of vessels plying the river route also reacted sharply following the incident.
General secretary of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolan Dr MA Matin earlier told the FE that keeping Shela river route for plying vessels will be sad news for the mangrove forest.
"The ecosystem of the forest will suffer badly if any accident occurs again," he said, adding, "That will be shameful for the country."
Mr Matin, however, suggested continuous dredging of Mongla-Ghasiakhali channel so that no vessel needs to use the Shela river. "The channel should be kept navigable for movement of vessels to avoid any hazard to the wildlife of Sundarbans."
   syful-islam@outlook.com
Shipping dept disagrees with UN over closure of Shela river route
Syful Islam | Published: September 12, 2016 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00
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