Disputed Bay of Bengal island disappears into sea

New Moore Island in the Sunderbans has been completely submerged, said Sugata Hazra, a professor of oceanography at Jadavpur University, in Calcutta. Its disappearance has been confirmed by satellite imagery and sea patrols, he said.

"What these two countries could not achieve from years of talking, has been resolved by global warming," said Mr Hazra.

Scientists at the School of Oceanographic Studies at the university have noted an alarming increase in the rate at which sea levels have risen over the past decade in the Bay of Bengal.

Until 2000, the sea levels rose about 0.12 inches a year, but over the last decade they have been rising about 0.2 inches annually, he said.

Another nearby island, Lohachara, was submerged in 1996, forcing its inhabitants to move to the mainland, while almost half the land of Ghoramara island was underwater, he said. At least 10 other islands in the area were at risk as well, Mr Hazra said.

Bangladesh, a low-lying delta nation of 150 million people, is one of the countries worst-affected by global warming. Officials estimate 18 per cent of Bangladesh's coastal area will be under water and 20 million people will be displaced if sea levels rise 3.3 feet by 2050, as projected by some climate models.

India and Bangladesh both claimed the uninhabited New Moore Island, which was about 3.5 kilometers (2 miles) long and 1.5 miles wide. Bangladesh referred to the island as South Talpatti.

telegraph.co.uk