We are into the fourth day since three wagons of a train, each carrying 25,000 litres of furnace oil, plunged into a canal in Boakhali upazila of Chittagong, dangerously close to the Karnaphuli River. The   accident was caused by a bridge collapse .Whatever may be the cause, the resultant oil slick has not only spread over the adjoining areas, layers of oil were also seen flowing into the Karnaphuli river. It is engulfing larger areas by the day in the absence of containment measures.

Here we are faced with a second oil slick after the one along the Sundarbans, not perhaps as serious but none the wiser to cope with it. For, again we are being dead slow in awakening to the threats to environment and geo-morphology that oil slicks pose over the long haul.

Understandably, 'the first priority' of the divisional manager of the Railway's eastern zone is to 'fix the line and salvage the engine'. And although he is taking too long a time to do so, the pressing job for environmental authorities or for that matter the government is to send experts to the affected area, assess the possible impact and have a task force to initiate effective damage control measures.  

Meanwhile, an independent probe must be carried out, responsibilities fixed and those committing lapses held to account.