First dead Irrawaddy dolphin located after Bangladesh oil spill, more deaths expected

© Dhaka Tribune

The salvage of the wrecked oil tanker took more than two days, while authorities in Bangladesh failed to contain or clean up the oil. Now, the first of what is expected to be a myriad of deaths of a rare Irrawaddy dolphin has occurred.

The first dead dolphin surfaced yesterday. The oil spill in the Sela River has now spread over more than 80 km. The Sela River is a sanctuary for two different species of dolphins.

Dolphins are extremely sensitive creatures, and more than 350,000 liters of oil was spilled into their environment.

According to the , there have been sightings of other dead wild animals in the region.

"I have discussed with the experts and they said that there will be no major damage," said Shajahan Khan, Bangladesh's Shipping Minister said shortly after the spill. "It will not affect dolphins and other animals as the oil has not spread that much."

Khan's predictions have been proven wrong, and there is no way to even estimate what the death toll of wildlife may be.

"Generally, dolphin corpses do not come to the water surface. The fact that one of them has floated to the surface should mean a number of dolphins have been directly affected," Monirul H. Khan, professor of zoology at Jahangirnagar University, told the .

"If large creatures such as dolphins could not survive, then smaller ones like otters and fish are in much bigger danger," Monirul Khan added.

Divisional forestry officers claim that they have only discovered the dead bodies of small fish and crabs that can be directly linked to the oil spill.

There are three dolphin sanctuaries on the Sela River in the area where the spill took place: Chandpai, Dhangimari, and Dudhmukhi sanctuaries.

The oil tanker was carrying 357,664 liters of furnace oil when it was struck by another vessel. It took two days to salvage, and by then, nearly two-thirds of the tanker's oil had been spilled into the river. The oil was pushed along by the forces of high and low tides.

Authorities in the region had no real experience dealing with a spill, leaving them with two options: using a chemical dispersants, or oil consuming bacteria. They remained unsure of the environmental impact of the dispersants, and the bacteria had to be imported. As a result, they have taken no real steps to remove the oil. Concerned local people have suggested that they manually collect the oil from the water.

"Chemical dispersants should not be used without consulting international experts with oil spill experience in mangrove forests. Dispersants are typically used in oceanic waters to prevent the slick from reaching the shore," said Brian Smith of the Wildlife Conservation Society.

The toxic effect on wildlife can lead to death or reduced reproductive fitness, reports CBS News.

Experts predict a die-off of small mangrove trees near the waterline in the next few months, and the loss of larger trees in the next few years as they become exposed to the oil as it seeps out of the sediment.

"Short-term impacts of the oil spill will be severe as the habitat of the affected areas will be damaged. Animals and fish species will lose their breeding grounds," former director of Water Resources Planning Organization Engineer Inamul Haque said.

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