When it might be getting the media attention, New Moore Island is just one of dozens that are sinking into the sea. New Moore Island has long been the focus of a land dispute between India and Bangladesh. Though residents have taken a short term loan of living space on other shores, the issue promises to only get worse. Rising sea levels have claimed more than just New Moore Island, but this tiny disputed island is providing more attention to the issue than ever before.
New Moore Island is also South Talpatti
At less than 3 square miles, New Moore Island is a relatively small chunk of disputed land. The government of India maintains that New Moore Island is within their ocean borders and is hence theirs. On the other hand, Bangledesh also claims what they call South Talpatti. There have never been any permanent settlements on New Moore Island. The island actually came under dispute only about 40 years ago, when New Moore Island / South Talpatti appeared after the Bhola cyclone. India had at one point established a base on South Talpatti / New Moore Island, but international opinion was split on the issue.
Rising sea levels engulf New Moore Island
The School of Oceanographic Studies in Calcutta told the BBC this year that New Moore Island had officially disappeared to the sea. The institute has confirmed that New Moore Island is no more with satellite pictures and reports of fishermen. In the last 10 years, sea level has risen an average of five millimeters per year, while the previous average was three millimeters per year. In the Bengal Basin region and Sundarban Island chain, where New Moore Island was situated, sea levels have been rising by about 3.14 centimeters a year. Four islands of the Sundarban chain sunk before New Moore Island.
Other island nations at risk
The Sundarban Island chain is not the sole home to sinking islands. For years, an island nation known as the Maldives has been losing ground. The highest point in the Maldives is only 8 feet above ocean level, so even a high tide can cause problems for residents. In response, the government of the Maldives has been building Hulhumale, a man-made island, for residents to emigrate to. Between Hawaii and Australia, Tuvalu is also quickly shedding ground. Tuvalu has 11,000 residents, and experts estimate the island will be entirely engulfed by the sea in as little as 50 years. Each year, 75 Tuvalu residents can use military personal loans to move to New Zealand – but various more are left behind. Tonga, Kirbati, and the Marshall Islands are also at risk of disappearing just like New Moore Island did.
Can the islands be rescued?
Ultimately, there can be no conclusive way to measure the cause or effect of islands ending up in the ocean. Islands can rise and fall in addition to the fact sea levels regularly change. There are also arguments about if the increased water levels are due to global climate change or natural variations in the climate. Governments are being asked to discover solutions for islands like New Moore Island, though, because there is no way to stop an island from sinking once it has started.
