A mysterious fuel oil spillage blackened shores of Mubarak Village, a coastal area of fishermen, killing marine animals with a widespread odour, besides alarming risks to human life, residents told Business Recorder on Friday.
The fuel oil spillage surfaced in the sea on Thursday from Churna Island to Mubarak Village with a growing chance to hit the Manora Island, subsequently. It engendered fears of a looming marine pollution with threats to human and sea species. "Yet, the authorities are unaware of the entire mayhem," Native Islanders Fishermen Association president Asif Bhatti said.
Fishermen said the source of fuel oil dirtying the coastlines is still mysterious to them, as there is no immediate steps by the authorities to scale down the risk posed to the human and marine species especially shorebirds, crabs, snails, turtles, dolphins, etc. Beaches in Mubarak village give a dirty black look with dead crabs and fish species, they said.
The Worldwide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-Pakistan) also worried over the spillage, citing that local fishermen said "a major oil slick was seen near Churna Island on Wednesday, October 24." It said the source of oil spill is still unknown. However, Asif Bhatti believes the fuel oil is running from an underwater pipeline leakage near Churna Island. He said the fuel oil is crude and may cease fishing activities of fishermen all around the spillage radius.
"The oil slick on the beach at Mubarak village was seen Thursday morning quickly spreading up to Sandspit beach by afternoon. The oil seems to have weathered and has converted to semi-solid tar indicating that it might have released a few days back," the WWF-Pakistan unfolds the fishermen account.
Local fishermen say the oil spillage that spread over a long sea area is an immediate threat to their living, as well. The oil and resultant marine pollution also threatening the whale fish, dolphins and turtles. They urged the concerned authorities that are still unaware of the grave situation take needful action without any delay. They also apprehended that the Sindh government's non-seriousness might trigger a disaster for the coastal area.
Muhammad Moazzam Khan, Technical Adviser (Marine Fisheries), WWF-Pakistan, feared that "the oil spill can have severe impacts on the marine ecosystem of the area as it has smeared entire rocky beaches covering intertidal rocky platforms and rock pools". He said the incidence could lead to killing of marine animals and plants inhabiting the ecosystem. "It can also have serious consequences for marine birds if they come in contact with oil as it mostly covers their feathers resulting in mortality," he said.
Calling the Churna Island one of 'the most sensitive habitats, he said that the oil spill has struck the island sheltering a diverse marine life with corals. "It is possibly the most important diving and snorkelling site along the coast of Pakistan. Cleaning affected beaches is extremely difficult as its physical removal or use of dispersants is not easy," Moazzam said.
Teams are visiting the affected shores to weigh up the situation in the wake of fuel oil spillage, Dr Babar Khan, Regional Director, Sindh and Balochistan at WWF-Pakistan said, adding that "[WWF-Pakistan teams are] trying to assess the damage that may have caused to the coastal habitat and marine biota," He asked the authorities for a joint effort to probe the oil spill, besides analyzing the damage it has caused in the aftermath. "More important is to initiate a clean-up operation if it becomes feasible," he emphasised.
The WWF-Pakistan team's initial findings suggest animals covered with oil spill on rocky shore were found dead. A few dead crabs and scores of fish species such as eels and croakers were also collected from the oil dirtied beaches along Hawkesbay. One juvenile green turtle also perished on Sandspit beach. The impact of the oil spillage on other animals and birds besides ecosystem has yet to be determined with a likely serious implication on the sea. "Oil spills disrupt marine life and have impacts years after a spill occurs," the WWF-Pakistan said.
The oil spillage covered beach sand and seabed rocks killing most of the marine life, immediately. Dolphins and whales find it difficult to breathe in such atmosphere. Seabirds cannot relocate; therefore they are compelled to get oil to their feathers and also fail to maintain their body temperature. Oil spillage always has 'the worst toll on fish', the WWF-Pakistan said, recalling 'Tasman Spirit' oil spill near Karachi in 2003 is considered one of the worst environmental disasters in the environmental history of Pakistan wherein, over 33,000 tons of oil spilled into the Arabian Sea and 16 km of the coastline was polluted.
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