Pakistan Maritime Security Agency on Monday said that no oil was found during an aerial inspection of the coastal area surrounding Mubarak Village.
It is worth mentioning that a clean-up operation is underway at Mubarak Village where deposits of weathered oil washed up on the coast. Mubarak Village is a fishing village located in Kimari Town. The village also serves as a gateway to the Charna Island.
Pakistan Navy’s chief of operation commander Abid informed the media that in the first phase of the operation, rocks will be cleaned from the coast. He said that Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), Maritime Agency and other departments were busy in cleaning up the oil.
According to Mubarak Village counsellor Sarfraz Haroon, only 40 to 50 percent of the cleanup work had been done so far. “Oil stuck to rocks is the hardest to clean,” he said. “There is still oil present near the coast,” he said.
Counselor Mubarak Village Sarfraz Haroon said, “Only 40 to 50 per cent cleanup work has been done. Oil stuck to rocks is the hardest to clean.” He said that a small amount of oil which had been identified near Cape Monze was being removed with the help of KMC.
An oil slick near Charna Island was found by locals when the high sea tides washed black residues behind on the beach, making the residents worry about the potential damage to the island’s flora and fauna. The oil slick was first thought to have been caused by an oil spillage from the nearby refineries. According to environmental experts, the slick was not crude oil but weathered oil that had been present in the Arabian Sea and had been carried over by high tides and winds.
Published in Daily Times, October 30th 2018.