20000104

Body to investigate

oil spills near

Port Qasim

KARACHI: Environment Protection Secretary Shafquat Ezdi on Monday constituted a broad-based fact-finding committee to investigate into two oil spills near Port Qasim and fix the responsibility.

The committee headed by a representative of Maritime Security Agency (MSA) will also assess the extent of damages to aqua culture caused by these oil spills of November and December and submit its report by January 20.

The committee will also suggest measures to handle such big spill in the future.

The committee will also have a representative of Environment Protection Agency (EPA) Ñ Sindh as its member and associates of Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) and Pakistan State Oil (PSO). The representative of IUCN will cooperate in the investigations.

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Secretary Environment Protection at MSA head quarters. Director General MSA Rear Admiral M Jameel Akhtar, Chairman, Port Qasim Authority (PQA) Nazr Mohammad Sheikh, DG EPA Brig Akhtar Zamin (Retd) and representatives of PSO, KESC also attended the meeting.

It may be recalled that two huge oil spills have severely damaged aqua culture specially mangroves, fish and shrimps besides polluting sea water. According to conservative estimates, more than 10,000 tonnes of oil was discharged into the sea near Port Qasim.

During the discussion, it was revealed that the first oil spill was caused due to burst of oil pipeline at Bin Qasim Thermal Power Station while the second spill occurred at PSO installations.

The initial reports acknowledged the fact that oil spill caused heavy damages to mangroves, fish and shrimps.

After hearing point of views from various concerned departments, the secretary environment decided to formulate a committee to investigate the matter to fix the responsibility.

The EPA will take action against those responsible for oil spill on the basis of committee's report and levy a penalty to compensate for the damages.

The meeting suggested Port Qasim and Karachi Port to have their own contingency plan to deal with the issue for which they may seek assistance from MSA.

The DG, MSA said that it has a crisis management centre which can extend help to ports at the time of emergencies including oil spills.

It was also decided that ports should have their regular patrol system.ÑAPP