Heavy oil slick hits Gwadar’s western coast

The situation has sparked widespread concern among environmentalists and the local community over its potential long-term impact on the marine ecosystem. (CLOCKWISE) Workers inspect patches of spilled oil washed ashore along the coast of Gwadar; a cleanup worker holds a thick clump of toxic residue while a sea turtle lies on a beach contaminated with crude oil.—Dawn Deputy Director of Environment Abdul Rahim Baloch, while confirming that crude oil had reached Balochistan’s waters, said the unusual accumulation could be linked to ongoing tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and recent incidents involving oil tankers in the region. “It is highly likely that strong winds from the west, coupled with sea currents, pushed the spilled oil toward the Makran coast,” he said, adding that the presence of crude oil in intertidal zones poses a grave ecological hazard. “This oil is extremely harmful to marine life and acts as a poison for the marine ecosystem,” he warned, noting that the exact origin and cause of the spill remain unconfirmed. The issue first came to light when Shams-ul-Haq Kalmati, the former president of the Gwadar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, spotted the oil slick during his morning walk. (CLOCKWISE) Workers inspect patches of spilled oil washed ashore along the coast of Gwadar; a cleanup worker holds a thick clump of toxic residue while a sea turtle lies on a beach contaminated with crude oil.—Dawn Recognising the gravity