KARACHI: Most of the oil spill affecting the beach in Mubarak village has been cleared in an ongoing operation being participated by a number of stakeholders, the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) stated on Sunday.
“Seventy per cent of the affected area has been cleaned up in Mubarak village on the second consecutive day of operation which will continue tomorrow (Monday),” said a PMSA press release.
It also stated that the PSMA also conducted an aerial surveillance on Sunday and found a minor oil slick close to the Cape Monze coast.
“The information was passed on to the beach cleaning team. The Karachi Port Trust is tasked to undertake initial assessment of the oil spill/traces, if any, at the Sandspit and Hawkesbay beaches,” it said.
The operation led by Pakistan Navy is being assisted by the PMSA, Karachi Port Trust, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), Ship Breaking Labour Union Gadani, Shell Pakistan and Sindh Environmental Protection Agency.
When contacted, Commander Rao Abid of Pakistan Navy, heading the beach clean-up operation at Mubarak village, explained how oil traces were being ‘removed’ both manually and mechanically.
“The contaminated soil is being manually removed and sent to the KMC incinerators for disposal. Sixty per cent of this cleaning process has been done,” he said, adding that it’s a scientific way and employed all over the world to contain and tackle oil traces on affected coasts.
Answering a question that how oil traces on rocks were being treated, he said initially soft sand was spread on the rocks so that maximum oil traces were absorbed and then water jets were used to clean the rocks.
“Part of cleaning has also been done with the help of skimmers. But we are not satisfied with its performance and have asked for boom barriers to contain the oil slick affecting the coast,” he said.
Meanwhile, a PMSA spokesperson stated that a committee was being set up to analyse facts on the ground and ascertain the source of oil spill.
Published in Dawn, October 29th , 2018
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