BAGERHAT: A total of 17,000 liters of furnace oil has been collected so far on Sunday, the sixth day after oil spilled from a tanker which sank at the river Shela in the Sundarbans area after being hit by a cargo vessel in Mongla upazila of the district.

Sources said that with this amount, a total of 40,200 liters of oil have been collected in the last three days.

Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) and Padma Oil Company are accumulating the oil after locals collect them from the adjacent area of Shela River, sources added. They have collected 5,200 liters of spilled oil on Friday and 18,000 liters on Saturday.

Confirming the matter, local conductor of BPC and Padma, Rafiqul Islam Babul said that his agency has purchased a total of 17,000 liters of oil from the locals till Sunday evening.

On the other hand, the Sundarbans eastern division’s forest officer Amir Hossain Chowdhury said that 200 workers, on daily basis payment, have collected the oil on Sunday.

“They have worked on 100 hired boats,” he added. “The process will continue with efforts to remove the whole sludge from the canals surrounding the mangrove forest.”

He, moreover, added that the government has decided to hike the price of the spilled oil from Monday. “We shall collect spilled oil at a rate of Tk 40 instead of 30 which has been paid till Sunday.”

Earlier, the deputy minister for environment and forests Abdullah Al Islam Jakob, in the noon, ensured the journalists in Dhaka that the government will save the Sundarbans at any cost.

He made the declaration after an inter-ministry meeting held in the secretariet there. The meeting was also held on what to do in this circumstance and how to save the Sundarbans from damage after the accident.

Jakob, moreover, added the authorities have already engaged enough boats and workers to remove spilled oil from the adjoining areas. “The chief forest conservator has been asked to add more 500 boats there to make the oil removing quicker.”

On the other hand, according to him, the authorities have also been instructed to create mobile teams for collecting oils.

“Not only that, in a bid to prevent oil collectors’ skin diseases medical teams will be formed there while home ministry will provide security measures,” he added. “The ministry of disaster management and relief will provide relief to the victims.”

BDST: 2189 HRS, DEC 14, 2014