Pakistanis still suffering from effects of oil spill

A beach affected by an oil spill from a Greek-registered tanker is deserted in Karachi, Pakistan, in this Aug. 14, 2003, photo. People along this stretch of coast are increasingly suffering from skin, eye and respiratory infections nearly three years after the spill. PHOTO: AP

People along part of Pakistan's coast are increasingly suffering from skin, eye and respiratory infections nearly three years after a tanker ran aground and spilled oil nearby, according to study results.

An environmentalist also said the Arabian Sea spill from the Greek-registered tanker has affected marine life, especially turtles that nest on the sandy beaches near Pakistan's main seaport, Karachi.

The Tasman Spirit, owned by Malta-based Assimina Maritime Ltd, was carrying 67,000 tonnes of crude oil from Iran when it broke apart in August 2003 in shallow waters off Karachi.

A thick layer of oil covered nearby beaches within the next few days. A clean-up followed, but environmentalists say authorities have not done enough to protect residents.

Now, people say they are paying the price for living or working nearby.

Abul Bashar, a fisherman, said he has acute eczema, and his once-healthy nine-year old son, Rafiqul Bashar, suffers from asthma.

He blames the oil spill.

"My son was fit until age seven, but in the last two years this problem has developed," said Bashar, who lives in a slum near the coast.

Sher Gul, 39, a truck cleaner who works nearby, also complained of asthma.

"Before [the oil spill] I was well, but after oil came in the sea, the air got thick and troubled me," he said.

Results of a study started in late 2003 and released in the past week by the Aga Khan Medical University in Karachi concluded that eye, skin and gastrointestinal problems, as well as respiratory infections caused by fumes emitted by the oil, had become more prevalent.

The research was supported by the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the US.

The researchers randomly examined about 500 people in three groups: those living on the coast, 2km from the coast, and 20km from the coast.

The results showed the coast-dwellers suffered many more health problems than the other two groups.

Khalid Mushtaq, an area physician, confirmed that patients were often complaining of respiratory infections and asthma.

"In the last one year or so, number of patients of asthma to my clinic increased by some 15 to 20 percent," he said.

Zafar Fatmi, who participated in the research, said there's also a long-term risk of lung cancer.

Javed Akhtar Mallick, an oncologist at another hospital in Karachi, explained that hydrocarbons could have a carcinogenic effect if inhaled for an extended period.

A local environmentalist said the oil and chemicals used in the cleanup had affected marine along a 20km stretch of the coast.

Tahir Qureshi at the International Union for Conservation of Nature said it had reduced turtle populations, killing many of the reptiles that lay eggs on beaches near Karachi despite the nearby sprawling metropolis.

The contamination is also believed to have destroyed the turtles' foods, such as grasses and weeds, and probably forced them to migrate to other areas.

Qureshi claimed the government failed to undertake a sustained clean-up and to treat hydrocarbon deposits that settled beneath the sand.