WWF-Pakistan refutes claims linking sea sparkle to pollution

KARACHI: WWF-Pakistan on Wednesday issued a firm clarification after reports and online speculation attempted to tie the recent sea sparkle sightings along Karachi and parts of the Balochistan coast to toxic pollution or harmful algal activity.

The organisation stated that the discolouration and night-time glow observed by fishermen and coastal residents are caused by a naturally occurring non-toxic bloom of Noctiluca scintillans, commonly known as sea sparkle. According to WWF-Pakistan, this phenomenon is seasonal, widespread across the northern Arabian Sea, and has no link to toxic algae, blue-green algae, or coastal eutrophication.

The organism’s green appearance, specialists explained, results from an internal symbiont, protoeuglena noctilucae, which enables rapid growth under favourable conditions. Because Noctiluca is naturally bioluminescent, its presence produces the familiar glittering effect reported at night.

WWF-Pakistan Technical Advisor Muhammad Moazzam Khan confirmed that the current bloom carries no toxic threat. He said that no fish mortality has been reported anywhere along the coast and that monitoring since 2012 shows almost all blooms in Sindh and Balochistan waters are non-toxic. He added that once the bloom dies off, a temporary smell may occur, which is part of the normal biological cycle.

WWF-Pakistan made it clear that unverified claims linking the bloom to industrial or urban discharges are unscientific. The organisation reiterated that the current event is a natural oceanographic occurrence documented across Oman, Yemen, Iran, Pakistan, and western India, with satellite-tracked blooms recorded as recently as 2017.

At the same time, the organisation stressed that Karachi’s long-standing wastewater problem remains an entirely separate and serious challenge. Large volumes of untreated industrial and domestic wastewater, sewage, solid waste, and oil residues continue to enter the sea through the Lyari and Malir rivers. WWF-Pakistan called for immediate improvements in wastewater management and investment in treatment infrastructure to protect coastal ecosystems and dependent livelihoods.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025