KARACHI, Aug 16: The Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum on Saturday called for a high-level probe into the causes of oil spill causing destruction to marine life and environmental pollution.
At a press conference, held here on Saturday evening at Karachi Press Club, the PFF chairman Mohammad Ali Shah criticized the role of the Karachi Port Trust for its failure to take timely action.
Accusing the KPT chairman of sheer negligence in performing his duties, the PFF chief urged the government to remove him from the post.
Describing the situation as horrible for the coastal areas, he apprehended that it would cause enormous losses to fishermen communities in terms of environment pollution and employment.
The PFF chairman discounted the official claim that the oil spill would not affect the coastal areas, claiming that the spill had already hit some of the coastal towns, which include Keamari, Baba, Bhit, Shamspir islands, Yunis Abad, Kaka Village, Abur Rehman Village, Ibrahim Haidri and Saleh Abad.
He also demanded that the fishermen likely to be hit by the oil spill be compensated by the KPT and the shipping company.
DEMO: A demonstration was also held on this occasion by the PFF workers in front of KPC, demanding dismissal of KPT chairman for negligence and calling for preventive steps to save the marine environment from degradation.
Carrying banners and placards, the demonstrators comprising a large number of women also raised slogans in support of their demands.
SEAFOOD EXPORTS: Fisheries experts, assessing the impact of the pollution caused by the oil spill, from a tanker off the Clifton beach, on fish production, in short and long terms, have conceded that the disaster is horrible.
The experts said the real impact would become clear in the next few days, depending on the outcome of the ongoing salvage efforts and the extent of spill in the coastal areas.
Interviewed by Dawn, they described the present situation as highly dangerous for marine life, as it would ultimately have adverse affect on seafood exports of the country, which had faced a ban placed by foreign importers, in the past, on charges of pollution in the port area.
A former official, who had served fisheries sector for more than 40 years, when contacted said the oil pollution in the sea water would cause disaster for marine life by destroying the hatcheries in the creeks.
According to him, the mangroves —protecting the feeder creeks from sea erosion, as well as a source of sustenance for fishermen—are threatened by the oil pollution.
He was of the view that “Pakistan is heavily dependent on these mangroves to maintain ecological balance. The mangroves provide a diverse habitat for a complex and interdependent community of invertebrates, birds, and reptiles.”
The former official said the country had already suffered a lot due to a ban on its seafood products by the European Union countries in the past because of environmental pollution in its port area.
The official opined that the ecological disaster could have been avoided by prompt and serious efforts, at the outset, by the agencies concerned.
He contended the danger was always there and the situation called for adopting necessary measures for containing the spill and taking steps for preventing the tragic incident.
A fishery expert said the Clifton beach was highly productive area for local fishermen and was a source of livelihood for a large number of small fishermen also. He said the oil pollution would deprive these local fishermen of their livelihood.
He maintained that the incident proved that “we have not designed an effective plan to meet such disasters.” He said the issue of oil pollution was discussed in the past.
In 1978, the issue was raised by Syed Husain Niaz Rizvi, former director of the National Institution of Oceanography, at a seminar held to highlight various aspects of oil pollution threat to our marine life in the future.
Later, he said, the issue was also raised in 1984 by the experts but he regretted that no attention was paid to the issue and so far no contingency plan had been prepared to meet such a situation.
He opined that the impact of the oil spill was yet to be determined as presently it was confined to the Clifton beach and had not reached the major fishing areas.
The Karachi coastline, which is more than 135-km long is already facing severe pollution due to combination of factors resulting from industrial, port, municipal and transportation activities.
Because of inadequate preventive measures, the experts say, the shipping industry, through its discharges, causes water pollution and poses leakage and spill threats to the environmen.
