Mauritius Oil Spill: Experts and volunteers struggle to protect rich marine wildlife

In the aftermath of the horrific Mauritius oil spill, international experts and thousands of local volunteers were reported making panic-stricken efforts to shield the rich marine wildlife of the region on Sunday, August 16.

Thousands of tonnes of oil spilled into the turquoise waters of the island nation as bunker fuel leaked from a stranded tanker off the country's coast, leading to what scientists are calling Mauritius' worst ecological disaster. 

The Mauritius National Crisis Committee said in a statement that keeping in mind the rough conditions of the sea, the salvage company has informed the authorities that it cannot carry on the task of pumping out the remaining oil.

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The Japanese tanker MV Wakashio ran aground at least three weeks ago and then split apart on Saturday, August 15 as the Mauritian authorities confirmed that poor sea conditions have made the removal of remaining fuel on the ship riskier. 

As per reports, the tanker was carrying more than 4,000 tonnes of heavy oil, lubricants, and diesel from China to Brazil. While a few days ago Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth has said that almost all fuel oil that had leaked from Japanese-owned ship off the country's coast has been pumped out, scientists have reportedly said that the entire extent of the leak still remains unclear. 

However, deepening the ecological crisis, the fuel is known to have already reached the sacred zones of marine life including Ile aux Aigrettes nature reserve and the Blue Bay Marine Park, a unique coastal wetland known for coral diversity and fish species. 

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India sends assistance to Mauritius

Meanwhile, Minister of External Affairs Dr. S Jaishankar announced India’s assistance to the Mauritius government in the wake of the horrific oil spill. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs on August 16 said that the government has dispatched ‘urgent humanitarian assistance’ in a response to the request of the Mauritian government (GoM).

The MEA informed that India has dispatched over 30 tonnes of technical equipment and material on board an IAF Aircraft. The ministry also said that a 10-member Technical Response Team has also been deployed to island in a bid to help the crisis-stricken nation amid ongoing ‘Environmental Emergency’. Moreover, as an immediate step, the Indian Oil (Mauritius) Limited (IOML) was also asked to extend all possible assistance to the GoM. 

Image Credits: AP

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