At least 60,000 litres of furnace oil are feared to have seeped into the Karnaphuli River following a train accident near Chittagong on Tuesday.
The consequences have already been deadly for fish in the river. However, it is not too late for the authorities to take remedial action to urgently clean up the contamination that has occurred.
Citizens have a right to see clean up action as matter of urgent priority. Remediation will be vital to bring back biodiversity to the river and protect local livelihoods.
Cleaning up the oil spill is an important test of the effectiveness for the Department of Environment and, by extension, this government, in dealing with this type of incident.
Undoubtedly, Bangladesh Railway also has questions to answer about the crash and needs to review the robustness of its equipment.
However, the priority for the government must be to focus on the river’s remediation. Bangladesh’s small land area means environmental sustainability is not a luxury but must be an integral part of economic growth.
It is vital to sustainable development that this clean up is acted on without hesitation.
