Tanker collision

‘18,666 litres oil spilled into Kirtonkhola’

Environmentalists sceptical about DOE’s statement

A total of 18,666 litres of diesel is believed to have been spilt into the Kirtonkhola river from a damaged oil tanker after it collided head-on with a fly ash-laden vessel on Friday morning near the Barisal river port.

The authorities made this disclosure on Saturday night after the damaged taker managed to offload the oil at the Jamuna oil depot in Barisal.

Fakrul Ahsan, manager of the Jamuna oil depot, said the oil tanker, MT Fazal, carrying 9,83,000 litres of diesel and 3,50,000 litres of petrol, arrived at Barisal from Chittagong, but met with an accident near the depot on Friday morning.

Yet, despite the accident, the tanker managed to pump out and supply 9,64,334 litres of diesel and the entire amount of petrol to the oil depot, he said. The rest of the 18,666 litres of diesel, which could not be accounted for, is believed to have escaped into the river from the vessel’s damaged tank. The cost of the spilt diesel is Tk. 11.72 lakh, he added.

But environmental experts expressed doubts about the statement issued by the Directorate of Environment (DOE) on the pollution of the river water.

The Barisal unit of the DOE disclosed the results of its examination of water samples of the Kirtonkhola on Saturday, saying no pollution could be detected in the river’s water. Md Arefin Badal, assistant director of the Barisal DOE, said a team of the directorate had visited the spot with the deputy commissioner (DC) of Barisal, D. Gazi Saifuzaman, within five hours of the accident. The examination of the water had revealed a normal oxygen level, thereby ruling out pollution, he said.

Rejecting the statement of the Barisal DOE, Md. Hasinoor Rahman, chairman of the Soil and Environment Department of Barisal University, said the large amount oil spill was likely to have polluted the Kirtonkhola water. He said not only the surface water, but water at the deeper levels and the riverside plants must have been affected by the spill.

He urged the DOE of Barisal to collect water samples from different spots and levels and re-examine them.

Md. Rafiqul Islam, associate professor of Botany at the Govt BM College, concurred with Rahman’s view. He said a large section of birds and underage fish were most likely to have been affected by the diesel spill.

Some birds depend on floating fish, which they catch by diving down while flying, for food.

If the oil sticks to feathers of the birds, they would run the risk of dying, he explained. Md. Azizul Haque, senior assistant director of the Barisal fisheries department said the spill of 18,666 litres of oil was not an insignificant amount. The contamination would kill off small fish, he feared.

 

 

Tanker collision

18,666 litres oil spilled into Kirtonkhola

Environmentalists sceptical about DOEs statement

A total of 18,666 litres of diesel is believed to have been spilt into the Kirtonkhola river from a damaged oil tanker after it collided head-on with a fly ash-laden vessel on Friday morning near the Barisal river port. The authorities made this disclosure on Saturday night after the damaged taker managed to offload the oil at the Jamuna oil depot in Barisal. Fakrul Ahsan, manager of the Jamuna oil depot, said the oil tanker, MT Fazal, carrying 9,83,000 litres of diesel and 3,50,000 litres of petrol, arrived at Barisal from Chittagong, but met with an accident near the depot on Friday morning. Yet, despite the accident, the tanker managed to pump out and supply 9,64,334 litres of diesel and the entire amount of petrol to the oil depot, he said. The rest of the 18,666 litres of diesel, which could not be accounted for, is believed to have escaped into the river from the vessels damaged tank. The cost of the spilt diesel is Tk. 11.72 lakh, he added. But environmental experts expressed doubts about the statement issued by the Directorate of Environment (DOE) on the pollution of the river water. The Barisal unit of the DOE disclosed the results of its examination of water samples of the Kirtonkhola on Saturday, saying no pollution could be detected in the rivers water. Md Arefin Badal, assistant director of the Barisal DOE, said a team of the directorate had visited the spot with the deputy commissioner (DC) of Barisal, D. Gazi Saifuzaman, within five hours of the accident. The examination of the water had revealed a normal oxygen level, thereby ruling out pollution, he said. Rejecting the statement of the Barisal DOE, Md. Hasinoor Rahman, chairman of the Soil and Environment Department of Barisal University, said the large amount oil spill was likely to have polluted the Kirtonkhola water. He said not only the surface water, but water at the deeper levels and the riverside plants must have been affected by the spill. He urged the DOE of Barisal to collect water samples from different spots and levels and re-examine them. Md. Rafiqul Islam, associate professor of Botany at the Govt BM College, concurred with Rahmans view. He said a large section of birds and underage fish were most likely to have been affected by the diesel spill. Some birds depend on floating fish, which they catch by diving down while flying, for food. If the oil sticks to feathers of the birds, they would run the risk of dying, he explained. Md. Azizul Haque, senior assistant director of the Barisal fisheries department said the spill of 18,666 litres of oil was not an insignificant amount. The contamination would kill off small fish, he feared.