Apart from the growing concern over the survival of multiple species of flora and fauna, now the fear is heightening about the livelihoods of the poor people living on the forest resources, thanks to ‘gross negligence’ by the authorities to tackle the huge oil-slick in the Sundarbans. “Currently, about 15 lakh fishermen are engaged in fishing in rivers of the Sundarbans. They’re directly being affected now due to the oil spill. And it’s difficult to say what nightmare is awaiting them,” eminent environmental expert Dr Atiq Rahman told UNB. Dr Atiq, executive director of the Bangladesh Centre for Advance Studies (BCAS), said the environmentalists repeatedly warned the government that carrying fuel and coal through the Sundarbans water routes may cause havoc for the forests and the recent tanker crash has proved it. Referring to the environmental risk to the mangrove forest, he said the government must consider the risk factors in implementing the coal-based thermal Rampal Power Plant project as coal will be supplied through the Sundarbans channel. Experts predict that the local communities who depend on the resources of the mangrove forest will force them to change their livelihood options as the oil spill in rivers of the Sundarbans will pose a severe negative impact on the ecosystem, biodiversity and natural resources. Former director of Water Resources Planning Organisation (WARPO) Engr Inamul Haque said short-term impacts of the oil spill will be severe as the habitats of the affected areas will damage animals, while fish species will lose their breeding grounds. “The oil spill not only brings the environmental hazard but also affects the livelihoods of local people. As the fish species will die or be forced to migrate from the oil-spilt areas of the rivers, local fishermen will lose their livelihood option,” he added. Inamul Haque said many people of the Sundarbans region earn their livelihoods by collecting honey from the world’s largest mangrove forest. “As the recent oil spill will directly affect the plants near the waterline of rivers, the honeybees will leave the affected areas, leaving their honey collectors in dismay,” he said. An immediate assessment of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), a global conservation platform, also predicts the die-off of small mangrove trees near the waterline in the next few months and larger trees in the next few years or longer especially if trees become re-exposed to oil seeping out of sediments. The impacts on the larger ecology of the mangrove system as small and large tree die-off, soils are eroded, and excessive sediments are deposited into small and large channels, it says, adding the potential toxic impacts to local human communities from exposure to oil during clean-up operations or by consuming fish exposed to oil. The wildlife has started dying due to the adverse impacts of the oil spill. An Irrawaddy dolphin, globally protected species, was found dead in the Harintana-Tambulbunia channel of the Shela River on Saturday, some 25 kilometer away from where the tanker capsized. Wildteam chief executive Prof Dr Anwarul Islam said the Shela River is the sanctuary of two kinds of dolphins, including Irrawaddy dolphin, and a hotspot of crocodile. “At this moment, it’s difficult to say what will be in the long run…but the disaster (oil spill) poses a great threat to the tiger and deer,” he added. Meanwhile, the fish haul in the region has marked a sharp fall. Pavel Partha, a renowned ethno-botany researcher, said though the fishing boats used to sell fishes worth Tk 6,000-8,000 from a day’s haul at Jaymonir Gola Bazar just five days back, the sale now amounts to Tk 1,000 at best on average. If the fisheries are not available for a longer period, the livelihood of thousands of fishermen will be at stake, he added. On December 9 (Tuesday), an oil tanker carrying some 3.57 lakh litres of furnace oil sank in Shela River at Mrigmari under the East Zone of the Sundarbans after being hit by a cargo vessel, causing a serious threat to the existence of the mangrove forest and its natural resources due to the oil spill.