Oil spill at Clifton beach raises concerns

An oil spillage on the Clifton beach has spread panic and fear among beachgoers on Wednesday. However, experts say the oil slick does not pose any serious threat to humans, however marine life that comes under the slick will be affected.

According to local media reports, the oil spill has spread between McDonald and the Village Restaurant and is reported to extend beyond the Devil’s Point on the Clifton Beach. On the report of the oil spill, WWF-Pakistan’s team immediately rushed to the area to obtain first-hand information. It is revealed that this oil slick is not widely spread in seaward direction and is restricted to the intertidal area.

Saqib Ejaz Hussain, an environmental expert, told Geo News that Pakistan's Marine Pollution Control Board had all the tools needed to control the oil slick in a timely manner.

The Maritime Security Agency (MSA) is also clueless about the source of the oil spill and termed it a ‘monsoonal activity’. The expert claimed that nothing could be done now except wait for a few days until it settles down.