Hundreds of volunteers in Mauritius scrambled to create cordons to arrest the oil spill from wreaking more havoc on the coast of Mauritius, after a massive oil spill. They made cordons out of adsorbent straw, lined with fabric sacks in an attempt to contain and absorb the oil. Others have been helping out by making cordons out of tights and tubes, in an effort to help their government clean the beaches. Notably, their actions go against an order from the government asking people to leave the clean-up to local authorities.
This oil spill was caused by the MV Wakashio, believed to have been carrying 4,000 tonnes of fuel oil, that ran aground on a coral reef off the Indian Ocean island on 25 July. Mitsui OSK Lines, the operator of the ship, said it had tried to place its own containment booms around the vessel but had not been successful owing to rough seas.
Meanwhile, the government has been trying to clean up the mess by means of helicopters and are attempting to remove the oil from the vicinity.
Other countries have also volunteered to help Mauritius combat this crisis. France has sent a military aircraft with pollution control equipment from its nearby island of Réunion. On Sunday, Japan announced it would dispatch a six-member team to assist the French efforts. Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth is set to hold an emergency meeting later on Sunday amid fears that bad weather could further complicate efforts to hold back the oil.
Source: BBC