Experts collect spilled oil samples from Mubarak Village coast
An oil slick spread over 1.5 km near Mubarak Village has residents worried about the flora and fauna of the island
October 26, 2018
KARACHI: A team of experts from National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) collected samples of spilled oil and dead marine creatures on Friday from the city’s coastal area surrounding Mubarak Village, which has spread over 1.5 kilometres and is threatening the environment and the marine life.
The team collected samples of the oil slick for fingerprinting purposes, which would help trace the source of the oil slick so that remedial measures could be taken, an official said.
The experts spotted a number of dead crabs and fish littering the beach, however, the real extent of the damage is yet to be ascertained.
The oil slick near Charna Island was spotted by locals when the high sea tides left black “globs” behind on the beach, making the residents worry about the potential damage to the island’s flora and fauna.
The slick was first thought to have been caused by an oil spillage from the nearby refineries, with some reports suggesting that the oil spilled after a pipeline owned by Byco Petroleum burst. However, environmental experts responding to the situation shared that the slick was not crude oil but weathered oil, which had been present in the Arabian Sea for some time and had probably been carried to the beach by high tides and winds.
A statement issued by Byco Petroleum said no leak or loss of contamination had taken place from any of its installations.
The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) of Balochistan said on Thursday that its survey teams, Pakistan Navy, Byco and independent experts have been investigating the incident.
Mubarak Village is a fishing village in Kimari Town near Karachi, located along the shore of Arabian Sea. The village is a popular tourist destination, known as the gateway to the small, pristine Charna Island.
The oil slick has the residents worried about their livelihoods, and the strong stench from the spillage is making it difficult for them to go towards the shoreline.
Assistant Director Environment at Gwadar Development Authority, Abdul Rahim told Geo News that due to lack of environmental monitoring near the coasts of Pakistan, some cargo ships dump the oil in the Arabian Sea which is eventually washed off on the beaches. He said such a spillage has also been observed on Balochistan’s coasts in the past.
Nearly 1,200 oil cargo ships sail through Arabian Sea every month.
