28 May 2021 12:05 am Views - 590
By Easwaran Rutnam in Negombo
The fire on the ship MV X-Press Pearl has had a serious impact on the environment with debris now spread between Negombo and Moratuwa.
A clean-up operation is under-way on the beach as bags full of plastic and other hazardous material continue to get washed ashore.
The Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) said that major damage has already been caused to the environment as a result of the blaze on the ship which has lasted for a week as of Thursday.
MEPA Chairperson Mrs. Dharshani Lahandapura told Daily Mirror that the environmental pollution was initially limited only to a small area.
However, she said the pollution had now spread from Negombo to Angulana in Moratuwa as of Thursday.
She said that seven highly polluted areas have been identified and over 900 officers from the military and other agencies have been deployed to asses the damage.
Ms.Lahandapura said that the impact to the environment in parts of Colombo, including Wellawatte were also being assessed.
Concerns had been raised over the impact the fumes from the burning ship will have on residents in the Negombo area.
An official told Daily Mirror that chemicals mixed with the plastic could also have a long term impact on people in the area who came in contact with the material.
The MEPA Chairperson said that they had taken water samples and were also monitoring the air quality.
She said that marine life was also expected to be seriously affected in the polluted areas.
“These days we are also doing testing on sand samples and fish,” she said.
Ms.Lahandapura said that the fish in the polluted areas were most likely consume the plastic and eventually when people consumed the same fish, it would pose a threat to health.
Fishermen in the Negombo area had been banned from fishing as a result of the threat posed by the burning ship.
She also said that the plastic washed ashore will breakup into smaller pieces and pose a long-term threat to the environment.