(Southern Africa) (3 minutes read)
· People in Mauritius protested in Port Louis, the capital city
of Mauritius, against the oil spill, which has the potential to spoil
the fragile coral reef of the island nation
· The exact nature of the damage created by the oil spill is
yet to be reckoned.
· But experts say it would be a severe blow to the island’s
tourism industry.
People in Mauritius protested in Port Louis, the capital city of
Mauritius, against the oil spill, which has the potential to spoil the
fragile coral reef of the island nation. The spill took place a month
ago when a Japanese cargo ship carrying oil struck aground. The
damaged ship had spilled over 1000 tons of oil into the sea.
The protesters raised slogans against the handling of the oil spill by
the government and called for its resignation. The locals and
environment activists are upping their pressure on the government.
They have asked for an investigation into the entire episode,
particularly the reason behind the ill fated ship treaded off course
towards the coast of Mauritius.
The exact nature of the damage created by the oil spill is yet to be
reckoned. But experts say it would be a severe blow to the island’s
tourism industry. As reported by www.trendsnafrica.com, 39 dead
dolphins were washed ashore, ostensibly due to toxin from the fuel.
Several more dolphins may be affected. There are also concerns about
the spill affecting mangroves in the shore, which are ecologically
fragile.
