Mauritius-Oil And Water

 

MAURITIUS

Oil and Water

The government of Mauritius recently ordered the scuttling of the front section of the MV Wakashio, a Japanese oil tanker that ran aground on the string of islands in the Indian Ocean. The back section is still stuck in the reef it struck on July 25.

The disaster dumped more than 1,000 tons of oil in the water. That’s far less than the 400,000 tons that leaked into the Gulf of Mexico after the Deep Water Horizon incident in 2010.

Even so, the ecologically sensitive waters surround the islands, including the Blue Bay Marine Park reserve, are among the world’s best spots for scuba diving, brimming with a rainbow of coral and 70 species of tropical fish. Now, the stunning turquoise waters of a blue lagoon outside a coastal village to the north of the reserve are black and brown, the BBC reported.

Mauritian officials arrested the captain of the ship, a 58-year-old Indian citizen, charging him with “endangering safe navigation.” He might later shed light on why he hit a coral reef. A birthday party had occurred on the day of the accident.

The vessel was reportedly pumped empty before the scuttling. Government critics nonetheless said the decision to submerge the ship might make the pollution worse. “Sinking this vessel would risk several whale species and contaminate the ocean with large quantities of heavy metal toxins, threatening other areas as well, notably the French island of La Réunion,” Greenpeace Africa told the Guardian.

Many citizens of Mauritius feel as if their leaders didn’t act fast enough when the spill occurred, the New York Times wrote. The oil is polluting the lagoons and tropical jungles that usually draw 1.3 million tourists a year. The coronavirus epidemic has already battered the country’s economy.

In truth, the government responded fairly well, the Africa Report said in a piece that examined the emergency closely. Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth did all he could, one could argue, until he issued an emergency order once it was clear local crews couldn’t save the ship. A public inquiry will surely be empaneled to study how the disaster unfolded. It will also likely find that the accident could have been avoided.

Meanwhile, locals continue to scramble to clean up the site, coming together with makeshift tools to gather up oil by hand.

They worry the spill will ruin more than their tourist industry – they fear it may hurt the fragile ecosystem that is vital to the island’s survival: The nearby reefs protect the island from the waves.

Christopher Reddy, a senior scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, opined on CNN’s website that coastal environments can be more resilient than disheartened environmentalists believe.

Others like Bloomberg Opinion writer Julian Lee disagree. They worry the oil spill will forever change the last undamaged coral reef off the island, robbing the planet of an ancient patch of untouched wildlife.

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