New Moore Island (India)

Bangladesh / Bagar Hat / Mungla /
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New Moore Island or Purbasha as it was known in India was a small uninhabited offshore island that emerged in the Bay of Bengal in the aftermath of the Bhola cyclone in 1970 and disappeared at some point in the first decade of the 2000's. Scientists from the School of Oceanographic Studies in Kolkata, after analyzing recent satellite images, announced to the BBC in 2010 that the island had been completely submerged by rising water levels in the Bay of Bengal. There had never been any permanent settlement or stations located on the island. Its sovereignty was disputed between Bangladesh and India for years until the island's disappearance.

The island was situated only two kilometers from the mouth of the Hariabhanga River. The emergence of the island was first discovered by a U.S. satellite in 1974 that showed the island to have an area of 2,500 sq meters (27,000 sq ft). Later, various remote sensing surveys showed that the island had expanded gradually to an area of about 10,000 sq meters (110,000 sq ft) at low tide, including a number of ordinarily submerged shoals. The highest elevation of the island had never exceeded two meters above sea level.

The island was located in the coastal, shallow Bay of Bengal immediately south of the international border river, the Hariabhanga, flowing between Satkhira district of Bangladesh and South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, India. The island at low tide was, at most, about 3.5 km (2.2 mi) in length and 3 km (1.9 mi) in width.

The island was claimed by both Bangladesh and India, although neither country established any permanent settlement there because of the island's geographical instability. India had reportedly hoisted the Indian flag on South Talpatti in 1981 and established a temporary base of Border Security Forces (BSF) on the island, regularly visiting with naval gunships.

Bangladesh claims the settlement of the boundaries between Bangladesh and India has been reached on the basis of Radcliffe Award. Under the Radcliffe Award, in the case of borders divided by rivers, the 'Mid-channel Flow' principle of 'Thalweg Doctrine' has been recognised as the international boundary between two countries. The middle line of the mid-channel flow (Thalweg doctrine) of Hariabhanga which is the local borderline of Bangladesh and India is clearly flowing along the western side of South Talpatti Island. Based on this principle the Khulna district administration and the survey department registered the island by the name South Talpatti in their administrative documents. The island has been christened South Talpatti by Bangladesh due to its location to the south of Talpatti under Shyamnagar upazila of Satkhira district (former greater Khulna district).

All above from Wikipedia and Banglapedia
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   21°36'36"N   89°9'23"E

Comments

  • it's gone due to global warming
  • Bay of Bengal island 'disappears' news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8584665.stm
  • If the sea level rose enough to cover this island, why does it seem not to have affected any other low lying coastal areas?
  • Global Warming is a very serious problem ! If not looked upon may pose a thrthreat to life on earth.
This article was last modified 10 years ago