KARACHI: Disposal of oil-soaked sand, debris in limbo
By Mukhtar Alam
KARACHI, Sept 19: Safe disposal of oil-soaked debris and sand collected from the beach to Jam Chakra village site is in limbo, as the authorities in the provincial government are still indecisive in this regard.
According to the sources privy to the cleaning operation, about 1,000 bags packed with hazardous waste materials from coastal area have been off-loaded at the city government’s designated site a few kilometres away from Surjani Town.
The shifting of waste materials was completed on Thursday amidst protests and apprehensions of citizens, who believe that dumping or storage of such hazardous material in open air could spread severe health and environmental problems in the area.
A couple of weeks back, it was decided that the oil-soaked sand and debris collected by the DHA, KPT and city government employees would finally be buried in pits to be developed under the supervision of Sindh Environmental Protection Agency scientists and staff. At that time, it was agreed that the discarded material on the beach could not be used for any useful purpose. It was agreed that the material should be degraded further and buried in the scientifically prepared pits, said a source.
It was further said that in line with the initial decisions, parties concerned were moved and import of certain geo-membrane was also planned by the SEPA for the pits.
In the meantime, bags of oil laden waste material were dispatched from Defence and Clifton beach, anticipating that the geo-membrane would be procured positively and pits would be prepared till bags’ transportation.
However, according to sources, the idea of burying the waste in pits was deferred with the entry of a new focal person for beach cleaning operation, i.e. Sindh Secretary for Environment. Till date, he has been unable to initiate the matter and as such the quarters concerned, including the P&I Club representative in Pakistan, are desperately waiting for any green signal.
Despite the fact that bags prepared in the first phase of beach cleaning had been shifted to Jam Chakra, any further action could not be taken as the environment department and SEPA personnel were indecisive, a city government official said.
When contacted by this scribe, the representative of P&I Club, Hashim Mujtaba, said that he was not in the process of procuring geo-membrane required for pit-lining, as the environment secretary did not give any instruction in this regard.
He said that a landfill site expert from France had also given his input on the subject and now it was upto the secretary to decide about options. Till date, he has not communicated about his decision or future line of action.
According to him, the foreign expert, John Luke, had suggested that the waste could be used in road repairing and filling works. If that was not possible or suitable it should finally be disposed off or buried in the pits after some scientific treatment, Hashim quoted the expert.
On the other hand, local scientists and environmentalists, are taking serious note of the delay. Any use of the oil-soaked sand or debris would not prove constructive and befitting and as such it would not attract builders or private parties, they added.
The local experts also referred to a fresh exercise of deposition of oily sand in bulk through tractor and dumper into the sea. Such exercise could not help in getting back washed sand, they said.
Talking to Dawn on Friday night, Sindh Secretary Environment Shujat Ali Qarni said that he had nothing to do with the preparation of pits at Jam Chakra site, as the SEPA had already issued guidelines on the subjects and it was up to the related people to prepare the pits in line with the standard and international requirement.
He made it clear that the P&I Club representatives had never talked to him on the procurement of geo-membrane for the pits and it would be incorrect to say that he had asked the P&I club representatives to delay the procurement till his further orders.
The secretary said that waste filled bags had temporarily been stored at Jam Chakra site and were being guarded as well so that people could not touch those. “However, I am of the opinion that waste and sand collected from the beach are not harmful for human life, as hazardous contents had already been evaporated through natural process,” he maintained.
He said that he was trying to get the contaminated sand back to its normal condition through certain mechanism, as digging in the beach and shifting the waste to other places would be an unending exercise.
Mr Qarni pointed out that he had ordered to stop further collection of oil-polluted sand and its transportation, as he believed that it should be allowed to get washed in sea.
