Disputed isle in Bay of Bengal
disappears into sea
By NIRMALA GEORGE, Associated Press Writer Nirmala George, Associated Press Writer
–
Wed Mar 24,
9:29 am ET NEW DELHI – For nearly 30 years,
India and
Bangladesh have argued
over control of a tiny rock island in the
Bay
of Bengal. Now rising sea levels have resolved the dispute for
them: the island's gone.
New
Moore Island in the Sunderbans has been completely submerged,
said oceanographer Sugata Hazra, a professor at
Jadavpur University in
Calcutta. Its
disappearance has been confirmed by
satellite imagery and
sea patrols, he said.
"What these two countries could not achieve from
years of talking, has been resolved by
global
warming," said Hazra.
Scientists at the School of Oceanographic Studies at
the university have noted an alarming increase in the rate at which sea
levels have risen over the past decade in the Bay of Bengal.
Until 2000, the sea levels rose about 3 millimeters
(0.12 inches) a year, but over the last decade they have been rising
about 5 millimeters (0.2 inches) annually, he said.
Another nearby island, Lohachara, was submerged in
1996, forcing its inhabitants to move to the mainland, while almost half
the land of Ghoramara island was underwater, he said. At least 10 other
islands in the area were at risk as well, Hazra said.
"We will have ever larger numbers of people displaced
from the Sunderbans as more island areas come under water," he said.
Bangladesh, a low-lying delta nation of 150 million
people, is one of the countries worst-affected by global warming.
Officials estimate 18 percent of Bangladesh's coastal area will be
underwater and 20 million people will be displaced if sea levels rise 1
meter (3.3 feet) by 2050 as projected by some
climate models.
India
and Bangladesh both claimed the empty New Moore Island, which is about
3.5 kilometers (2 miles) long and 3 kilometers (1.5 miles) wide.
Bangladesh referred to the island as South Talpatti.
There were no permanent structures on New Moore, but
India sent some paramilitary soldiers to its
rocky shores in 1981 to
hoist its
national flag.
The demarcation of the maritime boundary — and who
controls the remaining islands — remains an open issue between the two
South Asian neighbors, despite the disappearance of New Moore, said an
official in India's foreign ministry, who spoke on condition of
anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on international
disputes.
Bangladesh officials were not available for comment Wednesday.
This week, Mercury is emerging from the glare of the sun and making a beeline for Venus. By week's end, the two planets will be just 3o apart, an eye-catching pair in the deep-blue twilight of sunset.
