Department of Forests started to remove fertiliser yesterday from the cargo vessel which capsized in the Bhola River at the Swarankhola area of the Sundarbans on Sunday.
Amir Hossain Chowdhury, Divisional Forest Officer of the Sundarban East Zone, said the cargo vessel "Jabalenoor" got stuck in a shoal in the river and began sinking on Tuesday afternoon, as the keel of the vessel got fractured when two rescue vessels tried to move the vessel during high tides. "Water of the canals and the river over a vast area near the capsize scene has taken on a red hue because of the dissolution of the chemical fertiliser," he said, adding that the vessel was carrying 200 tonnes of potash fertiliser.
The DFO noted that as the vessel sank during the high tide, the chemical fertiliser spread across a vast area of the mangrove forest and will endanger the wildlife. However, the impact on wildlife cannot be predicted yet, he noted.
Steps have been taken to remove the fertiliser of the sunken cargo, he said.