NAIROBI, Kenya – Zareen Bandhoo was at work in the central city of Mauritius, Curepipe, last week when she heard oil spilled from a ship in the island’s uneven lagoons.
In the days since, because Mauritius has faced one of its worst environmental disasters, Ms. Bandhoo has been hard at work. She has donated money and food for cleaning activities, and has collaborated with friends and colleagues to help limit the damage to the island’s picturesque coastline. Together, they made test sources from dust and sugar leaves to contain the oil, collected hair and plastic bottles to pick up and clean the slippery, scrubbed contaminated beaches, and made online aware of the extent of the damage.
Their efforts are representative of the grassroots initiatives taken by Mauritians amid rising anger and frustration that officials are not acting quickly enough to address the shortage – even as the Japanese-owned bulk carrier ran aground on a coral reef off the island of the Indian Ocean. on July 25th.
“This could have been prevented,” said Ms Bandhoo, 24, who works as an assistant in a food delivery business.
She said the authorities “started doing things only when it was too late, and this is unforgettable, really.” The only consolation she could save from the crisis, she said, was how citizens responded so far.
“The solidarity of Mauritians is overwhelming,” she said.
The Wakashio, a Japanese-owned but Panama-based bulk carrier, held 200 tons of diesel and 3,800 tons of fuel oil – 1,000 of which leaked into the sea. Nagashiki Shipping, the company that owns the ship, said more than 460 tons were recovered manually. But according to satellite images, the oil spill this week covered an area of more than 10 square miles, and has grown by more than eight times since the ship began leaking.
The shortage would be catastrophic for Mauritius, whose lagoons, lush tropical jungles and mountains attracted 1.3 million visitors in 2019. The country has sustained the spread of the coronavirus locally, but the suspension of international flights has curtailed its tourist-dependent economy.
The game threatens hot spots for biodiversity, including the Ile aux Aigrettes nature reserve and Blue Bay Marine Park, a famous snorkeling and diving area where nearly 40 species of coral and more than 70 species of fish thrive.
The authorities have explained a “state of environmental need” and work together with experts from France, Japan, India and the United Nations to handle the game.
In interviews, many Mauritians accuse the authorities of being ill-prepared for such a catastrophe, even though Mauritius has been the site of at least three shipwrecks in recent decades. In the days following the foundation of the Wakashio, authorities deployed only a few hundred meters of bombs, environmentalists said, which was not enough to contain the game.
“When this leak started, there was a sense of revolt within the population,” said Sunil Mokshanand Dowarkasing, an environmental expert and former legislator.
Immediately after the accident, individuals, civil society organizations and environmental groups mobilized to save the mangrove forest and coral reefs that give Mauritian waters their rich biodiversity.
Thousands of volunteers lured night owls collecting plastic bottles and shaking oil into fats, while salons donated their hair and children collected straw from fields to help raise the oil. Mauritians abroad began campaigns on social media to raise awareness, and hundreds of thousands of dollars were raised on fundraising platforms.
There was “a sense of love for the country and trying to save it,” Dowarkasing said.
Mauritius is on the path of trade routes connecting Asian ports with Africa and Latin America. Vassen Kauppaymuthoo, an oceanographer and environmental engineer on the island, said more than 2,000 large cargo ships crossed the Mauritius area last month – threatening an ecosystem that is essential to the nation’s resistance.
“The reefs protect us from waves, and the belts of seegers and the mangroves play a critical role in absorbing carbon dioxide,” he said. With her roots now covered in oil, he said, “It’s a tragic story that brings sadness and anger.”
In 2016, Adam Moolna watched as bulk carrier MV Benita roamed the country’s southeast coast. Although the ship did not spill oil, he said he was “unfaithful” about how the authorities were unable to effectively detect or receive ships on collision courses with the island.
“Certainly, a lesson must have been learned by then,” said Mr Moolna, an environmental lecturer at Keele University in England.
The current frustrations with the government, he said, stemmed from concerns that the island would next time have to deal with a waste of an oil super tanker with hundreds of thousands of tons of oil instead of a ship with thousands.
Mauritius’ authorities did not respond to a request for comment this week. Nagashiki Shipping said Mauritius officials had asked for compensation from the company but did not elaborate.
“We are fully aware of the responsibilities of the parties involved and will respond in good faith to any damages in accordance with applicable law,” the company said in a statement.
Experts say it can take weeks, if not months or more, to see the full effects of the game.
“The toxins accumulate in the soil and can infect insects, reptiles and plants,” said Vikash Tatayah, conservation director of the Mauritius Wildlife Foundation. “We may see less successful breeding in birds and reptiles, more plants may die,” he added.
For some volunteers, however, the impact of the oil cake is already clear.
Willow-River Tonkin, a 21-year-old professional kitesurfer, said he came in with a throbbing headache after participating in cleaning efforts.
“I spent three days in the oil, and inhaled all day,” Mr. Tonkin said. “It knocked me down.” He said he was stemmed by the amount of oil shaking off the wall.
‘You just kick it in your hand, and you think,’ Will this ever end? Will this ever get better? “It never stops,” he said.
The authorities did not estimate the financial cost of the game. But the environmental group Greenpeace said in an email that thousands of species were endangered, with likely “irreversible” damage to the environment.
The leak could also affect the living conditions of the nation of 1.3 million people, tens of thousands of whom work in the tourism sector. Tourism generated more than $ 1.6 billion in revenue in 2018, according to the government, but because hotels and restaurants have remained low for months due to the pandemic, many fear the oil spill will discourage visitors.
Jérémie Wan, the manager of a guest house in Pointe d’Esny, near where the ship ran aground, said he was getting bookings for September, when Mauritius is expected to reopen its borders to international visitors.
However, he doubted that visitors would come if they knew they were looking for a wrecked ship for them.
“We are trying to reassure customers that they can come next month,” Mr Wan said in a telephone interview, “but I would not even set foot in the water right now.”
Abdi Latif Dahir reported from Nairobi, and Elian Peltier from London.
