Keamari gas leak: what really happened?
FEBRUARY
25, 2020
I have worked for most of
my life in the petroleum and other industries, located at the shore of the
Arabian Sea in Karachi. So, I know the kind of horrible stench the people, who
live in the coastal areas, have to endure on most days, especially when the
tide is low in winter or when rotting fish is washed ashore.
Besides, Hydrogen
Sulphide, released by petroleum crude oil in small quantities, is always
present in the air in the vicinity of the oil terminals in Keamari. So, Hydrogen Sulfide could not have
been the “toxic gas,” which resulted in the tragic deaths of 14 people. I doubt
if we’ll ever know what happened (which is the norm in this country).
Panic-stricken residents
will continue to believe that there is a massive cover-up and that the
government is protecting those who should be behind bars. Some thought it was
vapour from a radioactive blast, while others thought a ship carrying chemicals
had released the gas into the air. “Because Pakistan is a third-world country,
the ship’s captain knew it wouldn’t have the means to find out which gas it was
and where it came from,” said one resident.
“It’s been done to make us stop thinking of the high cost of
food due to the government’s policies,” said another.
There were rumours that the “gas” was a mutation of the
Coronavirus, which has recently wreaked havoc in China and other countries. In
the meantime, the people of Karachi have received Whattsapp messages; advising
them not to consume seafood until there is definite evidence that fish and
crabs are not contaminated. People are also scared to go to the beaches as they
think the gas leak may occur again.
As for the claim that it was soybean dust that caused
allergic reactions resulting in the fatalities, this is not the first time that
soybean has been unloaded at the port. A TV channel showed workers sweeping
away soybean on the ground without being affected at all (even though they were
not wearing face masks). The ship’s captain was told to move to Port Qasim (an
unnecessary step, as the “leak” had already stopped).
And now for the third suspect: Methyl Bromide, the highly toxic
pesticide gas used in fumigation of containers at the port. This product is
banned in most countries, yet its use is allowed in Pakistan. Some doctors have
theorised that the victims may have inhaled it in very large quantities and
succumbed. Again, the fumigation contractor claims that none of his workers has
suffered from using it, so it does not prove that Methyl Bromide caused the
deaths.
So what caused the deaths of 14 innocent people? Committees will
be set up, members will attend meetings, they will have tea and samosas, yet
they too will not be able to solve the mystery. Those who were responsible for
the event will remain at large. You know how the Punjab Government reacted with
the “speed of light” when it transferred hundred-and-seventy-five officials
after the First Lady was not given due protocol at the Pakpattan shrine! The
PTI parliamentarians “selected” from Karachi should act with the same speed to
deal with such disasters. I highly doubt they have the will to do so.
The writer is an engineer, a former visiting lecturer at NED
Engineering College
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