Mauritius oil spill: Thousands of people protest in Port Louis over dolphin deaths

Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to streets of Port Louis in Mauritius on Saturday, August 29 demanding answers from the government over its delayed actions to the devasting oil spill from a grounded Japanese ship.

According to the reports, the protestors showed their outrage by honking and drumming as the news of oil spill leading to the death of dozens of dolphins reached them. The protestors displayed signs such as “You have no shame" and “I’ve seen better Cabinets at IKEA" to express their anger and criticism over the island nation's worst environmental disaster ever. 

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Protestors demand resignations

According to the reports, the protestors marched peacefully through the capital city of Port Louis on Saturday, nearly a month after the ship struck a coral reef near Mauritius' coast leading up to the disaster. The vessel later split into two and spilled around 1,000 tons of fuel oil into fragile marine areas. 

Addressing the crowd in Port Louis, some of the protestors demanded the resignation of the top government officials as there was no immediate government action on the matter.

Associated Press quoted a local writer Khalil Cassimally as saying, “I'd be surprised if it's not close to 100,000” people who attended the march. Public demonstrations aren't common in Mauritius but “one of the things that really binds people together is the sea,” he said. “It's one of the jewels of this country, and everyone feels very passionately about this.” He added that another protest is scheduled to be held on Sept. 12 in Mahebourg, one of the most affected coastal villages. 

Mauritius is home to a large number of marine animals. The island nation is heavily dependent on tourism but the recent oil spill is being seen as a major crisis in the country. The country was also badly hit by coronavirus pandemic which has limited international travel, thereby plunging its economy. 

As per reports, the authorities have informed that at least 39 dead dolphins have washed ashore over the last week. However, the government has said that no fuel oil was found and called the deaths a “sad coincidence.”

Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth declared a ‘state of environmental emergency’ as the grounded Japanese vessel started to leak fuel into the waters earlier this month. The ship was is reported to have been carrying nearly 3,800 tonnes of low-sulphur fuel oil, 207 tonnes of diesel, and 90 tonnes of lube oil. 

(With AP Inputs)

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