U.S. Water News Online
Some of the major environmental concerns raised by the December 2004 tsunami:
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DEBRIS: The tsunami left thousands of tons of debris in its wake, from twisted automobiles and contaminated oil drums to asbestos-laced rooftops. Many countries, including Indonesia, the Maldives and Sri Lanka, are struggling to clean up mountains of trash which could spread disease and contaminate groundwater if not safely deposited in landfills.
SOIL CONTAMINATION: Tsunami waves washing inland contaminated tens of thousands of acres of farmland with salt, leaving them barren and unproductive for years to come -- though some have recovered quickly. Environmentalists have also found that sewage, oil spills and industrial runoff have contaminated soil in several countries, including Indonesia where dangerously high levels of heavy metals were found.
COASTAL DEVASTATION: Mangrove forests and coral reefs were hit in some coastal regions, though several studies have found the damage was localized and minimal when compared to the destruction caused by decades of development, dynamite fishing and aquaculture.
UNCHECKED REDEVELOPMENT: The World Wide Fund for Nature and other environmental groups have warned that unchecked construction in tsunami areas could fuel an increase in illegal logging while contributing to the destruction of coral reefs and mangrove forests. The United Nations says fish stocks could face collapse in tsunami zones because donors are promising many more boats than existed before the disaster and offering to industrialize what was mostly a subsidence business.
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