Oil slick on Karachi beach spreads panic and fear

KARACHI: An oil slick over a four-kilometre stretch of the beach 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. 

Authorities told Geo News that the source of the oil slick is not known. It is being claimed that the slick did not originate from the Karachi Port area and has likely made landfall after being pushed by Monsoon winds from the open sea. 

Fear spread among beachgoers on Clifton beach where the sand still shows remnants of the Tasman Spirit disaster of 2003 when 33,000 tons of oil polluted a 16-kilometre stretch of Karachi's coastline. 

While the oil spill from the Tasman Spirit was fresh, its smell affected residents causing nausea, headaches and throat infections, forcing those living close to the beach to evacuate further inland; the current oil slick does not pose the same threats. 

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. 

"They have dispersants which help control and break down the oil naturally, the KPT also has a boom which can be used to control the spill," but added, "if they do not act fast, it could pose a threat to humans as well as marine life." 

The oil slick that stretches four-and-a-half kilometres along the coast and 150-meters towards the sea, is said to be breaking down naturally and the impact of heat from the sun and the natural motion of the waves will convert it into tar.