UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations (UN) has been going all out to help the government-led response to the oil spill in the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius, a UN spokesman said Monday.
The UN is "providing technical support on the impact assessment and environment protection, also focusing on affected communities," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, at a regular noon briefing.
In late July, a Japanese freighter ran aground offshore in Mauritius and began leaking oil. Soon, the oil spill became so large that it was visible from space.
For its part, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) has geared up some of its initiatives to immediately allocate 200,000 U.S. dollars to address the impact of the spill, while mobilizing funding from different environmental protection schemes, said Dujarric.
Also, the International Maritime Organization, the UN Environment Programme and the Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs have deployed an oil spill expert to support the government, he added.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization is supporting the public health response, while the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is assessing the risks to communities. Besides, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime has provided forensic investigation and legal support, while the Oceanographic Institute under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is helping with remote mapping, with the UN satellite imagery and analysis, the spokesman said.
In addition, the regional IOM director, Charles Kwenin, arrived in Mauritius on Monday on behalf of the United Nations' Regional Directors for Eastern and Southern Africa to offer high-level support and solidarity to the government, and to help assess the situation and support the UN team, said Dujarric.
The Mauritian government has closed off the coastal area of the eastern part of the island, where thousands of civilian volunteers worked for days trying to minimize damage to the Mahebourg lagoon and protect marine wetlands polluted by the spilled fuel.
A team of UN experts arrived in Mauritius on Aug. 11 to aid efforts to prevent the oil spill from further damaging its pristine environment.
The island nation of some 1.3 million people relies heavily on tourism, which had already taken a severe hit due to travel restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic.
