International

Disputed island 'disappears'

A tiny island claimed for years by India and Bangladesh in the Bay of Bengal has disappeared beneath the rising seas, scientists in India say. The uninhabited territory south of the Hariabhanga river was known as New Moore Island to the Indians and South Talpatti Island to the Bangladeshis.

Recent satellite images show the whole island under water, says the School of Oceanographic Studies in Calcutta. Its scientists say other nearby islands could also vanish as sea levels rise.

Beneath the waves

The BBC's Chris Morris in Delhi says there has never been a permanent settlement on the now-vanished island, which even in its heyday was never more than two metres (about six feet) above sea level.

In the past, however, the territorial dispute led to visits by Indian naval vessels and the temporary deployment of a contingent from the country's Border Security Force.

"What these two countries could not achieve from years of talking, has been resolved by global warming," said Professor Sugata Hazra of the School of Oceanographic Studies at Jadavpur University in Calcutta. Anyone wishing to visit now, he observed, would have to think of travelling by submarine.

Professor Hazra said his studies revealed that sea levels in this part of the Bay of Bengal have risen much faster over the past decade than they had done in the previous 15 years.

And he predicts that in the coming decade other islands in the Sundarbans delta region will follow New Moore, or South Talpatti, beneath the waves.

"We will have ever larger numbers of people displaced from the Sunderbans as more island areas come under water," Prof Hazra said. - BBC.co.uk

Top to the page  |  E-mail  |  views[1]
SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend
 
Other International Articles
Big powers in G20 under scrutiny by smaller nations
Blair strikes Oil in Iraq
The spreading Somali pirate threat
The service revolution: Lessons in India’s growth
Last Supper is growing by Biblical proportions
Pinkie finger triggers rethink of human odyssey
Quarter of Republicans think Obama may be the Anti-Christ
Dung beetle is world's strongest insect: Study
Allawi to start coalition talks after slim win over Iraq PM
US, Russia finalize landmark nuclear arms treaty
46 missing after S.Korea warship sinks near N.Korea border
'24' hours ticks down final season
Myanmar to hold polls in October or November: official
Vatican dismisses fresh New York Times allegation
Arab leaders gather in Libya for 'Jerusalem' summit
TB: a killer that can't be kept behind bars
In South Africa, whites are becoming squatters
India’s obsession with white is big business
Disputed island 'disappears'
'God particle' hunt set to start

 

 
Reproduction of articles permitted when used without any alterations to contents and a link to the source page.
© Copyright 2010 | Wijeya Newspapers Ltd.Colombo. Sri Lanka. All Rights Reserved.| Site best viewed in IE ver 6.0 @ 1024 x 768 resolution