On 9 December 2014, an oil tanker accident in the Sundarbans of Bangladesh led to the release of approximately 358,000 litres of heavy fuel oil into the river and mangrove ecosystem. The response to the accident was led by the Ministry of Environment and Forests along with its attached departments, Department of Forest and Department of Environment, with the help of local communities. Concern about the potential impacts of the oil to the ecosystem and the communities that depend on it for their livelihoods, led the Government of Bangladesh on 15 December 2014 to request the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) provide technical assistance in assessing the impacts and supporting the response.
A Joint United Nations / Government of Bangladesh Sundarbans Oil Spill Response mission was subsequently formed, under the coordination of the United Nations Development Programme. The mission consisted of 25 experts and officials from Bangladesh Government agencies and universities, the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team, UNDP, USAID, the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism, France and the Wildlife Conservation Society. The objective of the mission was to strengthen the Government’s efforts in containing and cleaning up the oil spillage, as well as to provide support to assessing the situation and developing an action plan for a phased response and recovery. The team spent six days in the affected area where site observations, interviews, aerial photography, sampling and other assessment techniques were used to evaluate the situation and develop recommendations.
The full report is available here.
