The government on Sunday formed a high-level committee with representatives from all ministries and departments concerned to oversee the environmental disaster that emerged in the rivers of Sundarbans following the capsize of an oil tanker, reports UNB.
The committee, led by senior secretary of Prime Minister's Office Abul Kalam Azad, was formed at an inter-ministerial meeting at the Shipping Ministry, public relations officer of the Shipping Ministry
Jahangir Alam said.
He said the committee will monitor overall activities of cleaning up oil from the river to minimise the environmental aftermath of the disaster.
BSS adds: The government is trying to save the largest mangrove forest Sundarbans from spilled oil pollution and extinction threat as quickly as possible, Deputy Minister for Environment and Forest Abdullah Al-Islam Jacob said in the city on Saturday.
Addressing a press conference at his ministry's conference room in the city, he said that the government ordered an intensified campaign to remove spilled oil from the water as it had spread quickly through a wide network of rivers and channels in and around the forest.
The oil spread in the areas adjacent to the world's largest mangrove forest Sundarbans from a serious consequence of losing the rich biodiversity of the forest, he said.
"We will seek foreign help for removing spilled oil from the rivers, if needed," he said. The ministry has directed to use 500 boats to remove the spilled oil from the surface water of the Shela River and nearby areas including adjacent canals in the Sundarbans, Jacod said.
Body formed to oversee oil spill disaster
FE Team | Published: December 15, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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