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VIDEO. Oil spill on Mauritius: "We make buoys with our hair and guinea fowl feathers"

2020-08-08T15:19:26.920Z


Oil escapes from the hull of the Wakashio ship polluting the coral reefs and the coasts of the island. For their part, the Maurici


Little by little, black replaces the turquoise blue of the Mauritian lagoons. Since August 6, a thick flow of fuel has been escaping from the bulk carrier Wakashio, beached on the reef of Pointe d'Esny in Mauritius. The boat, owned by a Japanese shipowner but flying the Panamanian flag, was traveling empty but was carrying 200 t of diesel and 3,800 t of heavy oil. The oil spill that emanates from it infiltrates into rivers, endangering corals as well as local fauna.

“Mauritius is a disaster area,” says Sébastien Sauvage, spokesperson for the NGO Eco-Sud. Since the “disaster” and in order to prevent the hydrocarbon from spreading, volunteers from his association and those from Rézistans ek Alternativ have been working alongside the authorities to help install floating anti-pollution barriers made from cane straw. . "We are even in the process of harvesting the hair of all Mauritians, the feathers of chickens and guinea fowl […] because the hairs retain the oil," explains Sébastien Sauvage. "I imagine that in a few days all Mauritians will be bald."

The Wakashio is stranded in a Ramsar classified wetland, such as the nearby Blue Bay Marine Park and also threatened. In order to avoid an environmental disaster, France has decided to provide Mauritius with teams and equipment sent from neighboring Reunion Island. According to Mauritius Fisheries Minister Sudheer Maudhoo, all attempts to stabilize the vessel have failed due to poor conditions at sea.

Efforts to pump the oil have also so far proved unsuccessful. Environmentalists fear that the boat will eventually break, which could lead to an even more significant oil leak and colossal damage at sea and on the coast.

Source: leparis

All life articles on 2020-08-08

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