For nearly 30 years, India and Bangladesh have argued over a rocky little piece of nothingness. New Moore Island, or South Talpatti, a 2 mile by 1.5 mile strip of sand and rocks, has been the center of tense, nearly violent disagreements between the two countries for as long as the two have been separate countries. Now, the debate has been settled. New Moore Island belongs to the sea.
Rising waters in the Bay of Bengal have claimed several islands over the years, and New Moore Island is the most recent casualty. Whether the culprit is man made or not, the effects of the change in water level are apparent to anyone who can read a map of the area. Still, while the environment ended the dispute over the island, the dispute of the two countries’ international maritime border lingers on. This just gives them something new to argue over!
Tags: India, Bangladesh, New Moore Island, Bay of Bengal, disputed island swallowed by the sea, island washed away, global warming, rising sea levels, South Talpatti Island