V.Priyatharshan
“About 700 km of sea area from Mannar of North of SL to Kirinda of the South of SL is polluted .The largest plastic pollution in the world was caused by the Pearl ship disaster. The impact is likely to be continued for another 20 to 30 years, ”said Darshini Lahandapura, chairperson of the Marine Environment Protection Authority.
The whole world started to focus on the Sri Lankan coastal area impact which occurred through the MV. Express Pearl ship. The environmental impact of this cannot be explained.
The Pearl Ship, which set sail from the Malaysian port of Tanjung Phillips on April 30, 2021, arrived at the port of Jabal Ali in the United Arab Emirates on May 9.
It was scheduled to depart on May 10th and to continue its journey to Singapore. In the meantime it anchored in Qatar, India and finally anchored on May 19, 2021, 9.5 km from the Sri Lankan port of Colombo.
The next day on the 20th the ship caught fire and began to spread fire till May 28th. The coastal area of SL were in a state of panic.
This made the whole world to pay attention deeply on Sri Lanka’s Pearl shipwreck. It was also felt as a massive sea threat. The ship was carrying 1486 containers of chemicals, including 25 metric tons of nitric acid and 12 thousand metric tons of plastic particles.
This massive marine pollution was the main topic of local media as wel as international medias . The Government of Sri Lanka stopped the public from visiting beaches in order to clear up the remainng waste from the shipwreck.
Marine life, especially rare species of turtles, dolphins, and whales, gradually started to die after this inceident With the sponsorship of the Earth Journalism Network we carried out a study on the current situation on sunk perlship.
“Pearl shipwreck was the only cause of the extinction of rare sea turtles and dolphins. The main reason for deaths is due to acid poisoning”. said Kemantha Vithanage, a senior adviser at the Center for Environmental Justice.
Due to this condition the people became very alert in consuming fish Hence the Sri Lanka’s marine industry was severely affected.
It is believed that this incident has claimed the lives of marine life. It is said to have gone as far as the deep sea and destroyed the biodiversity of the seas off Sri Lanka.
“Out of 07 species of sea turtles in the world, 05 species of sea turtles live in Sri Lankan waters. It is impossible to estimate how many sea creatures had died. We were able to count only the ones which reached the shore. Many creatures may have died and gone under the sea. ” Says Ganapathipillai Arulananthan, Chief Scientist, National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Center (NARA).
Thus the extinction of marine life has become a major issue for marine pollution. Ecologists began to point out that this was not only a short-term environmental condition but also a long-term environmental threat.
Sea turtle has lay more than1000 eggs to form a sea turtle. If so creating sea turtles that have died in a shipwreck or atleast to creat 5 or 10 times of them is not an easy task. If there were more female sea turtles deaths, there is trouble on getting their eggs. ” Says Darshini Lahanthapura, chairperson of the Marine Environment Protection Authority.
However, up to date, the loss of this marine life has not been properly reported. The remains and organs of dead were not been properly examined.
“Most of the damage caused by the Pearl shipwreck has not yet been released as many test results have not been released. Mortality of marine life is currently decreasing. But when we try to move out the Pearl ship from the sea, there is a chance that the death toll will increase again,”said Kemantha Vithanage, senior adviser at the Center for Environmental Justice.
It has been 8 months since the shipwreck and now people have started eating fish. Yet the problem of fishermen has changed in other way.
“Fish were not caught in the seas where we usually go and it Looks like there are no much fish in the area and we don’t know the reason” Says Anil, a 52-year-old fisherman from Dikovita, who has been in the fishing business for last 38 years.
Fishermen have been banned from fishing in the area since the day the Pearl ship burned. Boundaries have been put in place to prevent entry into the area around the ship, now it’s slightly relaxed after 6 months. This is the season where the fish gets multiplied and we catch large amount of fishes but now the fish species have become extinct.
Fish habitat will be affected by the chemicals in the sea and fish reproduction will be affected too” Says Ajith, a 44-year-old resident of Dikovita who has been in the fishing business for last 25 years.
We contacted the Chairman of the Marine Environment Protection Authority to find out the truth of the people’s assumptions.
Operations to remove the submerged containers are currently undergoing. A special panel of experts has been appointed to investigate. In this panel there are two eminent professors and 40 experts are appointed and they are investigating on environmental pollution in different ways.
A comprehensive report has been prepared on a number of issues, including the death of species, seabed damage, coral reef damage, and seawater and air pollution”said Darshini Lahandapura, chairperson of the Marine Environment Protection Authority.
At the same time, “plastic nurdles and liquid substance called raisin gum that fell from the ship into the sea have a greater impact on the marine environment than chemical changes in the ocean. In particular, the liquid substance called raisin gum has gone to the deep sea and it has affected the marine environment and fisheries, ”said Ganapathipillai Arulananthan, Chief Scientist, National Aquatic Resources Development and Development Center (NARA).
When inquired on about the lack of fish: “I do not think the number of fish may have decreased as a result of the shipwreck. I think the fish may have moved away from the pollution caused by the shipwreck. ” says Kemantha Vithanage, a senior adviser at the Center for Environmental Justice,
The Center for Environmental Justice has released a list of materials and hazardous chemicals that were boarded in the Pearl ship. A total of 1486 containers were kept in it. They contained 25 metric tons of nitric acid, sodium hydroxide and other hazardous chemicals, and 12 thousand metric tons of plastic raw materials. About 150 containers have been removed so far, says Ganapathipillai Arulananthan, chief scientist at the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Center (NARA).
In total 150 empty containers shave been removed and seems that all the chemicals are mixed in the sea. The sea can endure anything so it will endure these aswel. Can this small island survive this big disaster is the main issue and is the environment is safe?
All of the containers found on the ship were scattered on the deep sea. Measures to dispose of these are being taken exclusively. These are carried out in two phases. An American company is carrying out this work. ” Says Darshini Lahanthapura, chairperson of the Marine Environment Protection Authority.
Process of removing the vessel and the containers are undergoing. This also involves planned steps to safely dispose the containers. If they are not safely removed or bringing those back into the country might course more harm to the enviornament. Otherwise it is a public opinion that it is a great threat to land and air.
“They have completed 70 per cent of their target in disposal work. Two officers from the Marine Environment Protection Authority oversee those tasks full time. They record videos. Take photos and take water samples.
Debris taken from this area is taken to a temporary storage at Wattala. If there are any remains which can be destroyed internally they are destroyed without any harm to the country. Debris that cannot be destroyed internally or can cause damage to the environment is taken away from the country. Here, both officials from the Marine Environment Protection Authority and customs officials are on full-time duty. ” said Darshini Lahandapura, Chairperson of the Marine Environment Protection Authority.
He also said that the second stage is to lift the ship. It has been handed over to a Chinese company. Two ships from china have arrived and they are exploring how to lift the ship and remove it from the deep sea.
In Sri Lanka, research, results and activities are carried out by foreign countries. Sri Lanka’s environmental activities can only depend on their decisions. The government is ready to answer all questions. But fears of long-term impact still linger among the population. People also worried about the toxins in certain fish could that infiltrate human bodies.
We know that only a small amount of plastic particles (nurdles) were only removed from the sea shore But rest of them will last for the next 500 to 1000 years. It is certain that this shipwreck will have a huge impact on the environment in the future, ”said Kemantha Vithanage, Senior Adviser to the Center for Environmental Justice.
At the same time, Dr. Chandima Wijegunawardena, an ecologist, said, “The damage caused by the sunked ship in Sri Lankan maritime environment will be irreparable for many years and will have a major impact on the fisheries in our country for many years to come.”
In order to solve all these issues
“We are constantly researching how plastic particles can absorb toxins,” We continue to take long-term research on changes happening in seawater, fishers and soils, etc.” Says Ganapathipillai Arulananthan, Chief Scientist, National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Center (NARA).
But will these studies and its results be presented to the public? If there is not much to fear from such issues then why is the sea border around the ship still blocked for fishermen?
In the event of a shipwreck like this, we do not have the materials or facilities to carry out the next phase of operations. Therefore, advice has been received from the President to set up a ‘Marine Disaster Management Center’. Steps have been taken not only by the Marine Environment Protection Authority but also by all parties including the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ports Authority to prepare a joint report.
We look forward to holding talks with the Singapore Maritime Safety Authority soon. Countries like Singapore and Australia have expressed interest in advising us. We will also meet with the Australian team. They will also discuss on the mechanism under which they operate.
We plan to set up a Marine Disaster Management Center under their mechanism and technology. ” Says Darshini Lahanthapura, chairperson of the Marine Environment Protection Authority.
The government is foreshadowing matters and concern as how to deal with such incident in the future. Based on the comments from Chairman of the Marine Environment Protection Authority, Darshini Lahandapura, the Government is moving towards a solution even though the Government acknowledges the long-term impact.
But we do not know how much it will satisfy the people and the environment.
However, the public is concern about the long term envorienmtal pollution and how the gouverment is going to address the issues.
