Authorities issued urgent warnings in February after a diesel spill polluted the River Wandle, an "at-risk" chalk stream in southwest London, per the BBC.
What's happening?
An estimated 4,000 liters of diesel leaked from a bus depot storage tank in Thornton Heath, Croydon, ultimately spreading from Wallington to Wandsworth.
Merton Council confirmed that the spill has severely affected the Watermeads Nature Reserve, a vital habitat for species like brown trout and kingfishers. The public has been advised to avoid the area.
Why is this spill so concerning?
The River Wandle is one of London's few chalk streams, a globally rare ecosystem that has been the focus of conservation efforts. Residents have already reported birds coated in oil and struggling to clean themselves.
"This should never have happened," said Bobby Dean, the Liberal Democrat MP for Carshalton and Wallington, to BBC News. He noted that the spill has undone "decades of work by hundreds of volunteers who have helped restore the Wandle from an ecologically dead river to a thriving ecosystem."
Diesel spills are particularly harmful because diesel coats surfaces, suffocates aquatic life, and seeps into the food chain. The long-term consequences could include reduced biodiversity and contamination of surrounding wetlands.
According to the BBC, Thames Water has previously indicated that it "may not take action to protect the river from sewage until 2035" with "potential works on the Wandle possibly brought forward to 2027." Thus, this disaster raises concerns about immediate and ongoing threats to the Wandle's future.
What's being done about the spill?
The Environment Agency has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the spill. Once it has the information it needs, it intends to hold the responsible parties accountable. Meanwhile, conservation groups and local volunteers are working to rescue affected wildlife.
"Our waterways and wetlands are precious environments, and any pollution incident can greatly affect our wildlife," said a spokesperson for the National Trust, which manages the Morden Hall Park and Watermeads Nature Reserve, according to The Standard. "Our teams are working closely with the Environment Agency to help ensure the site can recover as quickly as possible."
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Never 👎 There is hope for better spill detection and cleanup solutions in the future. For instance, researchers from China's Harbin Institute of Technology have developed a bio-inspired filtering system based on deep-sea sponges that could revolutionize oil spill response.
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There have been other developments too. Scientists at Russia's Skolkovo Institute of Technology have created an artificial-intelligence-powered "e-nose" that can detect oil spills far more efficiently than current methods, allowing for quicker containment.
In the meantime, residents can help by reporting any sightings of distressed wildlife to local authorities, supporting conservation efforts, and volunteering with local environmental groups.
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