KARACHI: Pictures and footage of an oil spill somewhere near Karachi’s coastline became the cause of alarm for many on Thursday.
It was said that the spill was first noticed and reported by some fishermen. Usman Iqbal, who works with local fishing communities at Abdul Rehman Goth and is coordinator with the Olive Ridley Project, said that they told him that they saw oil in the water off Mubarak Goth. “There is footage and pictures to back their claim but the cause of the spill could still not be determined,” he said.
“We are also getting conflicting reports as some people think it may be due to a leak in an underwater pipeline while others say that it all came from a passing vessel,” he added.
Mohammad Moazzam Khan, technical adviser on marine fisheries at WWF-Pakistan, also confirmed the reports about some oil being found although he too could not put a finger on the cause. “We are getting reports and pictures from Mubarak Village, which is situated on the border of Sindh and Balochistan,” he said.
Footage and pictures emerge, but source of spill unclear
“It is feared that the impact of this spill may even reach Sandspit and we have sent out our team to determine its cause and extent,” he added.
“Local fishermen are coming up with all kinds of stories, meanwhile. Some say that it is a leak from an oil refinery, some say maybe it came from a ship that had come in for dismantling and breaking at Gadani. But the oil from ships at the ship-breaking yards is never wasted in the sea as it is sold for a price,” he said.
“From its texture though one can tell that it is not fresh oil. It is weathered oil with some sand mixed in due to the time it has been there. And as it is near the rocky beach of Mubarak Village, it will also affect the animals and sea life there,” he said.
It is rather early to say what happened as the discovery was made in the afternoon with it getting dark soon after. The experts hoped to have a clearer picture regarding the matter on Friday. It was said that with the help of more pictures and footage through drone cameras and testing samples from the site they would be in a better position to say more.
Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2018
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