Cleanup efforts set to begin

The government will soon begin cleanup efforts to contain the oil spill by placing an oil-boom in a Boalkhali canal in Chittagong.

The decision to deploy a temporary floating barrier or an oil-boom and to contain the oil slick was taken at a coordination meeting in the district yesterday.

Senior officials of Chittagong Port Authority, Bangladesh Railway, Chittagong District Administration and Department of Environment were present in the meeting.

On Friday evening, a furnace oil-carrying train derailed and three of its wagons plunged into the canal.

Meanwhile, oil from the three wagons had spread to the adjacent areas and the Karnaphuli river, posing a serious threat to the environment.

Locals collect the oil that spread in the canal underneath with the help of a sponge and carry it away in buckets. Photo: Anurup Kanti Das

The derailment happened following the collapse of a railway bridge in Kitabchar area. Two of the wagons sank in the canal. A third was partially submerged.

“An oil-boom will be placed in the military pole area of the canal to handle spillages and sponges will be used to aid clean-up efforts,” Chittagong Deputy Commissioner Mejbah Uddin told The Daily Star after the meeting.

The coordination meeting was held with an aim to set out a course of action necessary to stop the oil slick and remove oil from the canal as soon as possible, he said.

Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation will buy per litre of spill oil at Tk 60 from locals, the DC added.

Visiting the spot yesterday morning, this correspondent saw that some locals were trying to collect oil from the canal using sponges. They were also removing oil-tainted water hyacinths and grass barehanded.

Talking to The Daily Star, Gopan Jaladas, a fisherman, and Jaker, a boatman in the area, said they saw a thin layer of oil floating in the canal.

Most of the oil had already spread to the river, Gopan added.

Visiting the accident spot, Railway's DG Amzad Hossain told journalists that it would take seven days to salvage the wagons and restore rail communications on Chittagong-Dohazari route.

Railways Minister Mujibul Haque, however, told the House yesterday it would require three more days to restore the rail communications on the route.

Talking to journalists at Chittagong Circuit House yesterday evening, Railways Secretary Firoz Salauddin said, “The derailment was an accident. We will have to launch coordinated efforts to minimise pollution in the canal.”

Meanwhile, Jafar Alam, director (administration) of Chittagong Port Authority, yesterday said they could not place the oil-boom in the canal till 9:00pm due to heavy currents.

But already, much of the oil has spread in the Karnaphuli river as the oil collection did not begin right away. The photos were taken yesterday. Photo: Anurup Kanti Das