Weekends in the waters of Kangava Bay in the Solomon Islands are usually filled with happy children playing and busy villagers fishing. However, a recent unfortunate incident has made these activities impossible to do.
Just off the shore of Rennell Island, MV Solomon Trader, a huge Hong Kong-flagged bulk shipper carrying around 700 tonnes of oil was pushed to the shallow waters by cyclone Oma on February 5. The MV Solomon Trader is a 255-meter long tanker that was loading bauxite from a mine in the vicinity. A week after it was pushed adrift, it ran into the coral which has cut a gash on the ship's side. This when oil started spilling and has since then continued to spread.
Kongobainiu reef was affected by this incident where dead fish are floating on black tides. Surface water, beaches, and rock pools are now covered with tar.The oil spill has made life very difficult for inhabitants of coastal villages of Vangu, Kangava, Matanga, and Lavangu. Children were no longer allowed to swim in the sea but the more upsetting issue for the villagers is that they were banned from fishing in the sea for the foreseeable future. This means that they are relying on food supplies as delivered from their capital city, Honiara. Of course, food supplies from 150 kilometers away would come with a price which has significant effects on the villagers' financial situation.
There are also major changes in the villagers' lifestyle. Since their original water supply has been contaminated, they now depend on rainwater for their drinking water. Other locals also reported issues of skin burns after their bodies came in contact with the oil while trying to clean it up. Some villagers are also complaining about the discomfort brought about by the smell that hinder them from getting a restful sleep.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority reported through an aerial surveillance that there is only very little progress in cleaning up the man-made disaster. According to experts, there is no definite number of months as to how long the clean-up will take.
Both the Kangava locals and the authorities are anxious to get the oil spill before it reaches the UNESCO protected site, a raised coral atoll deemed to be the largest in the world. The protected site is known as East Rennell, the southernmost part of the Island with unique lime formations, a dense forest, and a large lake.
