30,000 litres of oil spilt from ferry Amanat Shah threatens Padma eco-disaster
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Motiur Rahman, Manikganj
Publish : 10 Nov 2021, 12:01 PMUpdate : 10 Nov 2021, 12:01 PM
The recently recovered Ro-Ro ferry Amanat Shah is feared to have spilt about 30,000 litres of oil into the Padma River, seriously polluting its water and harming biodiversity.
A recent visit to Paturia’s ferry terminal No 5, where the vessel had fallen on its side and sunken, revealed a layer of oil on river water there and in adjacent areas.
Many locals complained that their bodies became itchy after taking a bath in the river, on top of the water becoming foul-smelling.
Acknowledging the mishap, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Joint Director Md Fazlul Rahman said: “About 30,000 litres of oil have spilt in the Padma, which can contaminate the water.”
“Moreover, as the ferry was carrying various products, the water may give off a bad smell. Besides, the oil spill has also put aquatic animals at risk,” he added.
However, the disaster has emerged as a blessing in disguise for a few.
Local women and children were seen skimming off the spilt oil from the water to use it as cooking fuel.
“We have been extracting oil for the last four-five days,” said Nazma Begum, whose three children were also helping her in collecting oil.
A private company on Monday had salvaged the half-sunken ferry Amanat Shah, which had flipped sideways and sunk in the Padma River at Paturia ferry terminal in Manikganj on October 27.
At the time, it was loaded with multiple heavy vehicles, motorbikes and passengers, but the incident luckily saw no casualties.
All the vehicles were recovered over the next few days by several salvage ships while it took over a week to turn the ferry upright and bring it up.
According to the private company that spearheaded Amanat Shah’s salvage, their people discovered and fixed roughly 30 major holes at the bottom of the ferry and they believe these had led to its capsize.
30,000 litres of oil spilt from ferry Amanat Shah threatens Padma eco-disaster
The recently recovered Ro-Ro ferry Amanat Shah is feared to have spilt about 30,000 litres of oil into the Padma River, seriously polluting its water and harming biodiversity.
A recent visit to Paturia’s ferry terminal No 5, where the vessel had fallen on its side and sunken, revealed a layer of oil on river water there and in adjacent areas.
Many locals complained that their bodies became itchy after taking a bath in the river, on top of the water becoming foul-smelling.
Acknowledging the mishap, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Joint Director Md Fazlul Rahman said: “About 30,000 litres of oil have spilt in the Padma, which can contaminate the water.”
“Moreover, as the ferry was carrying various products, the water may give off a bad smell. Besides, the oil spill has also put aquatic animals at risk,” he added.
However, the disaster has emerged as a blessing in disguise for a few.
Local women and children were seen skimming off the spilt oil from the water to use it as cooking fuel.
“We have been extracting oil for the last four-five days,” said Nazma Begum, whose three children were also helping her in collecting oil.
A private company on Monday had salvaged the half-sunken ferry Amanat Shah, which had flipped sideways and sunk in the Padma River at Paturia ferry terminal in Manikganj on October 27.
At the time, it was loaded with multiple heavy vehicles, motorbikes and passengers, but the incident luckily saw no casualties.
All the vehicles were recovered over the next few days by several salvage ships while it took over a week to turn the ferry upright and bring it up.
According to the private company that spearheaded Amanat Shah’s salvage, their people discovered and fixed roughly 30 major holes at the bottom of the ferry and they believe these had led to its capsize.
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