Impact study with no fund:Daily Star

Workers hired by the forest department remove oil-covered plants from the bank of the Shela river in the Sundarbans yesterday. Many environmentalists believe it is a ploy to cover up the impact of the Southern Star-7 disaster. Photo: Courtesy The forest department has launched a field study in the affected Chandpai range of the Sundarbans to assess impacts of the oil spill on the mangrove forest.
The government, however, is yet to allocate funds for the study which would help the department take necessary steps to tackle the crisis.   Meanwhile, an official of the environment ministry said a UN team of experts is expected to visit Bangladesh very soon to assist the government in the clean-up of the oil spill. A joint team of experts from the forest department, research cell of Khulna University and the Institute of Forest Research began working near Joymuni in Chandpai on Tuesday. The team will assess the impacts of the oil spill on the germination process, seedlings and saplings of mangrove plants, grass and herbs at the study sites. "We need to continue the work for two to three years to understand the impacts of the oil spill on mangrove plants," said Nirmal Kumar Paul, divisional forest officer (management and planning) in Khulna. The team will regularly monitor the affected mangrove plants at 36 spots -- nine square metres each -- on both banks of the Shela river, where an oil tanker sank on December 9, and nearby canals. Advertisement It would also conduct the same study at several other spots in the forest where oil hasn't spread, he said. "We will compare our findings with the results of similar field studies conducted here before the oil spill," said Dr SM Feroz, assistant director of the research cell at Khulna University. They will now monitor and collect data at the sites for around a week. Then they will collect data after every one or two weeks, and assess the changes. "We haven't yet got any fund for the work. But we don't have time to waste. So we launched this study, leaving aside our work in other projects,” said Nirmal. There are at least 334 species of plant in the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest and also a UNESCO world heritage site. GOVT SEEKS UN HELP The government has requested the UN to provide it with necessary assistance in tackling the oil spill in the Sundarbans. Finance ministry's Economic Relations Division on Monday sought UNDP's help for cleaning up the affected area, assessing the situation and developing an action plan. The finance ministry made the move on request from the environment ministry. Talking to this correspondent, Khandakar Rakibur Rahman, additional secretary of the environment ministry, said the UNDP hinted that a UN team of experts would fly to Dhaka very soon. Bangladesh sought assistance after the UN expressed its willingness to give assistance in this regard, he said. Contacted yesterday, a UNDP official in Dhaka said they would talk about the issue today.