- AG Department maintains stoic silence about litigation in Singapore
- Continuous monitoring in progress to establish whether it is linked to disaster
- Fish samples checked for possible accumulation of heavy metals
- Sri Lanka seeks multibillion-dollar damages
Colombo, June 19 (Daily Mirror) – Recent chemical and physical changes in water samples collected from the sea near the MV X-Press Pearl disaster site have raised concerns about the long-term environmental impact of the incident, a top official stated yesterday.
Despite the enormity of the damage and the passage of three years, Sri Lanka has yet to make significant progress in its litigation against the shipping company responsible for the accident, which caused extensive harm to the country’s marine environment.
The National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) is conducting regular monitoring of water quality and analyzing fish samples. The findings are submitted to the Attorney General’s Department through the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) for litigation purposes in Singapore.
The MV X-Press Pearl, a container ship carrying hazardous chemicals, caught fire off the Sri Lankan coast on May 20, 2021. The disaster has had a long-lasting environmental impact that Sri Lanka will likely endure for decades.
For days, the ship burned off the coast, emitting thick, dark smoke visible from miles away. Now, the X-Press Pearl lies half-sunken off the Sri Lankan coast, with its hull resting on the shallow ocean bed.
A NARA official, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Daily Mirror that the water quality in samples collected from 14 designated sites around the accident area had changed with the onset of the southwest monsoon.
“Debris from the damaged ship rests on the ocean bed when the sea is calm. With the onset of the monsoon, the sea churns out debris, which might cause changes in the chemical and physical parameters of the water. We continue to monitor the water quality to determine if these changes are due to the disaster,” the official said.
Fish samples are also being analyzed for possible accumulation of heavy metals. “Currently, heavy metals in fish samples are within permissible limits. However, the accumulation of heavy metals in fish is a long process and may take more than a decade to exceed permissible levels,” he explained.
Additionally, NARA is monitoring coral habitats for potential impacts.
Sri Lanka has initiated litigation against the shipping company in Singapore. The MEPA has estimated the damage caused by the disaster to be $6.4 billion. An international panel of experts has been appointed to evaluate MEPA’s findings. The Attorney General’s Department, however, has shared little or no information about the current status of the litigation.
Source – www.dailymirror.lk
