KARACHI: Hundreds of small dead fish lay strewn across the shoreline at the Seaview beach last week. Observing the scene one onlooker commented: It is as if a sick sea has vomited its contents.

Once upon a time - not so long ago - the sands of Karachi beaches were so pristine and smooth that the sensation of walking on them was truly relaxing for frazzled city nerves. The sea breeze provided the perfect ambience for convalescents and the ebb and flow of the clear, white foamy waves, the perfect backdrop for romantics. But now the beach front greets us with a foul smell and blackish waves and squalid sands, which are best walked on with covered feet.

The report of the ‘findings’ of the National Institute of Oceanography regarding the mass arrival of dead fish on Seaview beach in itself warrants a comment. NIO director-general Dr M.M. Rabbani confirmed that the fish found on the beach died because of the “choking of gills and breathing problems that had occurred due to oil concentration in the sediment and water along the coast”. But discussions with experienced marine scientists reveal two causes not mentioned by the DG. They note that one cause could be the phenomenon called ‘red tide’ — common near all seashores and harbours — in which a large school of dead fish get washed up on shore. The fish usually die to a sudden lack of oxygen in the water which is consumed by mass reproduction of plankton.

Another possible reason could be marine pollution not from oil but other man-made sources like refuse, garbage and human waste.

None of these possible reasons were mentioned in the findings of the NIO. Instead, reference was made to the Tasman Spirit oil spill which was cited as the main cause of combination of oil with suspended sediments in the seawater and consequent contamination of seabed habitats. The presence of high oil content in our seabed should be an issue of national alarm as it has risen to dangerous levels but it cannot just be blamed on one oil spill disaster.

All ports have to provide a facility to ships in harbour of special barges and trucks in which engine oil sludge is disposed of. The Karachi Port Trust has no such facility and hence besides foreign ships that dump their waste oil in our waters, local ships also do so, which shows that KPT officials are unaware of their role in controlling oil dumping.

Besides, this is not the only environmental catastrophe taking place along our coastline. Marine pollution is increasing due to both maritime and land-based activities and international agencies have warned that Karachi harbour and the Marine Channel are among the most polluted areas. Oil terminals, oil-storage facilities, and workshops at shipyard operated by various organizations are also a continuing source of marine pollution. Similarly, activities by the Pakistan Steel Mills, the Bin Qasim Power Plant and shipping activities at Port Qasim also comprise a source of pollution.

Despite a number of agencies and government departments functioning to protect our environment no concrete steps have been worked on to truly monitor marine pollution.

Reports on the Indus River estuaries and its associated creeks have always noted that our seas are highly productive. But in the past few decades, hypersaline conditions and environmental degradation have considerably reduced the potential of marine growth.

Though recorded data on the fish fauna in the area is limited as no fish stock assessment surveys have been carried out, it is estimated that our waters still have a high number of species and faunal abundance. In fact, in pre-partition days, oysters used to be harvested from the Indus estuarine and transported to India for British expatriates. But subsequent data reveals a declining trend in this activity and an eventual collapse of fishery. Most oyster beds are now depleted because of environmental degradation.

Ironically, none of the departments concerned the Karachi Port Trust, the Sindh Environment Protection Agency, the Institute of Oceanography, the KMC or the city government — can be seen losing sleep over the issue.

Garbage is still dumped along the beaches which the high tide carries to the open sea along the coast where the fish usually come for their feed. It is essential to treat industrial waste through two stages before discharging it into the water. Since the KMC has no treatment plant, the refuse is discharged with its full toxic content.

Since most of the marine agencies are manned by politically appointed people, there can be little hope of the significance of marine pollution ever being realized.

Two years back when a dead whale was washed ashore on Clifton beach, one would have thought that these agencies would wake up, but nothing happened. In fact, lethargy exists to such a level that even after the Tasman Spirit oil spill disaster, Pakistan has still not become a signatory to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships and the International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Cooperation.

HYDERABAD: It only happens in Sindh that when the Pakistan Muslim League has to get a new lease of life, someone must be there with the carrot and the stick approach.

In the 90s, the task was performed by Jam Sadiq Ali.

At present, Arbab Ghulam Rahim is doing the job ruthlessly using both the carrot, which this time is too little, and the stick, which is so large that the PPP has been wiped out of the interior of Sindh.

The government and the Election Commission have absolved themselves of any responsibility for the murders on the plea that they had nothing to do with the elections and were committed outside polling stations due to personal enmity.

But the incidents provide an indication of the extent to which the elections were marked by violence, rigging, ballot-box snatching, hooliganism and clashes.

The chief minister did not touch Karachi or Hyderabad cities but staked his claim to other districts of Sindh.

He even included Jamshoro and Nawabshah into his schemes of things though the PPP had won a clear majority in the two districts as far as seats of nazims and naib nazims of union councils are concerned.

However, it is the councillors who will make the difference and the chief minister is manoeuvring for his favourite nazim candidates. So no one should be surprised if the Khushal Pakistan panel forms district governments in the two districts also.

Even the newly-created Tando Allahyar district from where Benazir Bhutto had contested elections, has gone to the government-backed Azad Magsi Ittehad.

The irony is that the PPP has lost Larkana and one cannot say with certainty that it will be able to form the even the district government there.

Another stronghold of the PPP where it ruled for the last four years is Khairpur. The district has been captured by the PML-F and Pir Pagaro will be the final arbiter.

What happened in the Dadu district before and after the polls can be judged from one single example — an officer of the rank of superintendent of police — was detained by Rangers for several hours to prevent him from interfering in the polling process.

What happened in the Thatta district has been reported in detail in the press. If MPA Sassui Palijo is to be believed -– and there is no reason to disbelieve her — she was fired upon by the government-backed men on the election day.

Sassui Palijo has also made public a white paper spread over 20 pages underlining alleged atrocities committed against PPP activists.

MNA Abdul Ghani Talpur has submitted a privilege motion to the National Assembly secretariat accusing law-enforcement agencies of manhandling him.

Most surprisingly even the Matiari district which has always remained the citadel of the Makhdooms of Hala seems to have been lost by the PPP.

In the 2002 general elections, Makhdoom Amin Fahim was away from the country but did not have to worry about his seat.

During the local body elections, he had stayed in Hala but failed to muster enough support against the Jamote Ittehad which is backed by Pir Pagaro.

Hyderabad district has gone to the MQM as expected after its bifurcation.

Its vote bank no doubt has eroded over the years but not to the extent that it would have lost the elections.

The MQM is poised to form the district government though it will be difficult for it to find a man of personality to head this important district.