The devastating fire that broke out in a Chevron Bangladesh condensate oil pipeline in Moulvibazar’s Sreemangal upazila on Monday night is seriously impacting the environment of the surrounding areas, especially waterbodies.
While visiting the area, this correspondent found out that the fire left a trail of damaged trees and bushes for a mile through the area. The leaked oil spread from the pipeline into waterbodies like Jaita stream and Hail haor. To make matters even worse, the oil that flowed into water caught fire, suffocating people living in the surrounding houses by the stench of crude oil.
The fire left three members of the same family critically injured. They are now under treatment at the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
In addition to destroying plants, the oil spread over the water caused death of a large quantity of fish the Hail haor, an ecologically important waterbody in the area. Locals said that fish and their reproduction, especially native species, were completely destroyed. A significant quantity of dead fish was seen floating in the water of the Jaita stream.
According to local environmentalists, the disaster has severely damaged not only biodiversity, but also the environment and reproductive cycle of aquatic animals in the haor. It will have a long-term impact on the fish production and environment of the haor.
Speaking to TIMES of Bangladesh, experts have weighed in on the potential implications of the disaster, putting forward their suggestions to remedy the situation and prevent such incidents in the future.
Md Anowarul Islam, an associate professor and head of Department of Geography and Environment at the Sylhet Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, said there are two aspects of the disaster – one is social safety and other one is environmental issue.
“This accident is giving us a message as to how sensitive this condensate oil pipeline is. Petroleum is a very delicate thing. And it is not that safe. The social safety net issue must be addressed,” he said.
“We may forget how harmful this oil spread is to the environment after a day or two, but the long-term damage has been done,” he added.
Anowarul Islam also said the environmental activists must raise their voices now to stop this to happen frequently and that oil pipelines must be removed from sensitive areas.
Sakhawat Hossain, professor of Department of Aquaculture at the Sylhet Agricultural University, said, “Such an accident not only endangers human life and property in a sensitive ecological area, but also seriously threatens aquatic biodiversity, fisheries and the livelihoods of the people who depend on them.”
“In a region like Sreemangal, where wetlands and haor systems play a vital role in biodiversity conservation, food security and rural livelihoods, such a disaster could have long-lasting effects,” he said.
Another professor of Sylhet Agricultural University, Mohammad Samiul Ahsan Talucder, said condensate is a highly flammable and toxic hydrocarbon liquid, which floats on the water and blocks sunlight, hindering photosynthesis in fish and plants.
“This pollution has the potential to completely disrupt the food chain of Hail haor. Such pollution can have a severe impact on the breeding season of indigenous fish,” he said, adding that it is important to analyse the soil and water of the haor and prepare a full report.
When contacted, Sheikh Zahidur Rahman, media and communications manager of Chevron Bangladesh, advised the correspondent to understand things little better, saying, “No one intentionally harms the environment.”
About assisting the victims of the fire with medical expenses, he said, “We are considering it. Let’s see how much we can do. We will inform you when the management takes a decision.”
