Cabinet approves plan to lessen oil, chemical spill into sea
The cabinet on Monday approved the draft of a new plan to mitigate the effect of oil and chemical spill into the sea, river and other water-bodies in a regular weekly meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
“The cabinet today approved both Bangla and English versions of “The National Oil and Chemical Spill Contingency Plan (NOSCOP)” aimed at mitigating the risk of spilling of oil and chemical into the sea, river and other water-bodies as the transpiration is being increased on the international and local naval routes,” said Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam.
While briefing newsmen at Bangladesh Secretariat after the meeting, he said that the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change formulated the plan with the financial assistance of International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme (SACEP).
Describing the plan as a directive and informative ones to face the accidents due to spillage of oil and chemicals, he said that the South Asia Seas Programme (SASP), Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Coast Guard and the Mongla and Chattogram port authorities have assisted in formulating the plan.
“The main purpose of formulating the plan is to make water free from pollution using highly technical equipment in the areas such as Sadarghat, Chalna, Mongla and Chattogram where the movement of vessels are frequent,” he added.
In accordance with the plan, a NOCS committee will always remain prepared to face any kind of accidents regarding spillage of oil and chemical with the help of local administration and other concerned, he said.
Anwarul continued saying that the plan has suggested to analysis natural environmental advantages to check environmental and socio-economic damages due to oil and chemical spill.
The government’s top bureaucrat said that the cabinet in principle approved the draft of “Company (Amendment) Act, 2020.
Designated Reference Institute for Chemical Measurements, Bangladesh Act, 2020 was the other draft law to get cabinet approval with Anwarul saying that it aimed to establish Designated Reference Institute for Chemical Measurements as a statutory body under Science and Technology ministry, separating it from the jurisdiction of BCSIR.
The cabinet also gave retrospective approval to the “Protocol on Trans-Boundary Elephant Conservation between Republic of Bangladesh and Republic of India”.
It also gave retrospective approval to the “Protocol on Trans- Boundary Elephant Conservation between Republic of Bangladesh and Republic of India”.
