KARACHI, Sept 29: The city government workers on Monday started the process of, what they called, ‘biodegradation’ of oil-soaked sand and debris collected from the Clifton beach in the wake of oil slick that hit the coastline some two months back.

A senior employee pointed out that out of the 1,000 bags of the contaminated material, 20 were opened for processing during the day. Under the biodegradation process, quicklime is mixed with the contaminated material as per the method prescribed by a senior official in the Sindh Environmental Department.

The polluted sand was spread over a cemented surface in the open at a landfill site in Jam Chakro, near Surjani Town. The area has been designated as landfill site by the city government.

The large-size bags containing oil-soaked sand and debris had been brought at the site some three weeks back and dumped in different pits reportedly prepared by the government initially as per the guidance of the Sindh Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). Big mixing machines are being used for adding limestone, in a quantity of 20 per cent of the material meant for processing, to segregate oil contents. The process would take one of two days to show the results. Once the oil and affected material are segregated, it would be safe to dispose of the processed material in the open, the worker said.

Initially, the SEPA had suggested application of scientific treatment and process of degradation of the oil-soaked sand and debris before their final burial in the specially-built pits at the landfill site.

According to a source, preparation of the dumping-specific pits had been delayed or ignored for a certain period as the parties concerned with the affair were in disagreement over the procurement of geo-membrane.

A government official, responding to a query, said that the concerned bodies were, at present, concentrating on the lime treatment to the contaminated material. As such, he added, they could not speak about the fate of the partly prepared and planned pits. “The works pertaining to the pits are not being undertaken as the new focal person on beach cleaning operations has not asked for it,” he added.

While the people in the environment department and city government consider the dumped debris not harmful to human being, residents in Surjani Town have been expressing concerned over the ‘adverse effects’ of the presence of contaminated debris in the open close to their localities..

If the material is not hazardous, as claimed by the authorities, then why has it been removed from its previous dumping place? they argued while expressing their apprehensions. They indicated that a foul smell, that of crude oil, had already polluted the environment by seriously undermining the air quality in the area around the site. Health of the residents of localities close to Jam Chakro landfill site is at stake, they insisted.