Of heritage and environment

About four days ago, an oil tanker sank at the Shela River near Sundarbans, spilling 350,000 litres of furnace oil which has since then spread out to over 34,000 hectares of forest area. The oil slick is visible on the water around several areas in that region.

Some of the early reports mention how dolphins were frequently spotted in some of these areas, but have not been seen since the spill incident. Photographs from the area also show trees around the river coated with oil, and birds in the area with oil marks on their feathers. Needless to say, these observations do nto bode well for the plants and animals in the area.

The fishing industry is also sure to suffer, both due to the possible death of fish and the difficulty involved in accessing the river water, currently contaminated with oil slicks. Further, all effects of the oil spill are not even manifest yet. In the long term, trees are in danger of drying up and dying. The diverse species of fish are also under threat. Experts have already remarked on how the dolphin sanctuary is at the highest level of risk, and how it is becoming increasingly difficult to save the rare species.

Let me try here to look at this from what I feel would be a fair, pragmatic perspective. The furnace oil being transported surely had its uses and very important ones too. I am also sure that transporting via the river network was also the optimal option available. Our current standard of living makes some concessions necessary, and there is no point in longing for an idealistic simpler time that would simply not meet the needs of today's world. Further, accidents can happen despite the highest degree of precautions being taken.

So I am going to accept that transporting the furnace oil was necessary, and every possible step was taken to do this without any mishap or mismanagement. Even the, one question still remains – why was the Government caught so unprepared? Why is it that even four days later, the ordinary people of the area are doing everything within their means to save the rivers, while the authorities still seem unsure of exactly what they are supposed to do?

As I have already conceded, modern living standards call for some concessions. However, it also calls for some preventive measures and some logistics to enable quick response to any unforeseen circumstances. Just like we have to accept that oil will need to be transported via the river network, we must also be guaranteed that steps have been taken to minimise the chance of an accident, and also that all the necessary logistics has been ensured to initiate recovery if an accident does end up happening despite our best efforts.

This is the aspect where the concerned authorities have failed. The owner of the tanker has managed to rescue his property, but the ecology of Sundarbans remains contaminated and under threat. To be sure, the two rescue operations are of the same magnitude, but then the infrastructure available to the Government is also supposed to be of a much larger magnitude compared to any private concern.

This is where the authorities have failed spectacularly, and one fears the consequences of this failure on the flora and fauna of Sundarbans, as well as on the morals of the average citizen. It is ironic how just a few years ago there was this nationwide drive to have the Sundarbans acknowledged as one of the natural wonders of the world. What is the point of campaigning for official accolades when we clearly do not consider it a priority to preserve it anyway?

There are other consequences of this failure, too. Once again, I am trying to be pragmatic and will not try to oppose the need for technological advancement. However, seeing how ill-equipped we are to deal with an accident and unable to contain its impact, one is bound to hesitate, for instance, at the prospect of nuclear power plants, where the consequences of an accident would be far more fatal and far more long-term.

Of course it is not a feasible option to refuse technological growth. However, in an era when everyone else is moving to more sustainable and less harmful sources of energy, maybe we should also look into other, more desirable, options. If nothing else will do and nuclear energy is the only avenue left to us, care needs to be taken, to the point of seeming compulsive, to ensure that we can effectively maintain such a power plant and are fully capable of dealing with any deviation from standard operating procedures.

The whole world feels an energy crisis, and an eternal pressure to keep up with the demands of modern life. However, everyone is trying to meet these demands while keeping an eye out for the environment and towards sustainability. We cannot afford to do any different either. This accident has forced us to admit how unprepared and even apathetic we are about disaster prevention and management.

Significant, possibly irreparable, damage has already been done in the Sundarbans oil spill. Maybe we can find some little solace by at least learning some lessons about how to better prepare ourselves in the future.