Series of Ash Barges Sinking Raises Concerns on Sundarbans Ecology

Environmental experts and fisheries organisations have flagged a serious threat to the ecology of the Indian Sundarbans due to recent incidents of fly ash-filled barges capsizing and sinking in the Hooghly river.

Key Features

• Two fly ash-filled barges sank on April 9, 2020, within a range of 30 kilometres — one on the Hooghly close to Tangrachar village of Kulpi block in morning; the second on the Muriganga river, that meets the Hooghly near Sagar island.
• Nearly 100 Bangladeshi barges — each weighing 600-800 tonnes — regularly traverse through Indian waters, about 100 kilometres adjacent to the Indian Sundarbans, taking fly ....