Have you ever wondered where the millions of tons of waste generated in third-world countries with no proper garbage disposal system goes?
With the Global Ocean already in jeopardy due to natural phenomenon like Climate Change, becoming a garbage dump for an enormous variety of waste is the last thing it needs; unfortunately, however, this fact has thoroughly failed in preventing human beings from treating it like a bottomless dumpster. With the rapid increase in coastal population, beaches are oceans are becoming increasingly toxic as natural habitats. This is particularly seen happening in places that have no developed methods of safe trash disposal, such as the Arabian Sea.
One of the most critically damaged water bodies in the world, the Arabian Sea is surrounded by six countries and the Arabian Peninsula. When talking about the role it plays in a country like Pakistan, the city of Karachi has a 70km coastline, along with the busiest ports of the country.
Not only is it home to a diverse range of marine fauna and flora, the contributions of the Arabian Sea make Karachi the economic hub of Pakistan, the main reason for this being that the Arabian Sea provides valuable trade routes for international shipping. There have also been discoveries involving Petroleum and Natural Gas deposits in different parts of the sea, which add to its historical significance.
Small-scale fishing and transport are two of the main contributions of the Arabian Sea to the economic growth of its surrounding land. In spite of that, there are huge patches on the beach where the sand is barely visible due to the heaps of trash covering it. With no designated disposal sites in the area, nearly all of the garbage that comes from coastal cities like Karachi is dumped directly into the ocean. This garbage comprises mainly of the one material that takes nearly half a millennium to decompose and can be easily swallowed by marine animals – plastic.
Moreover, toxic, untreated waste and chemicals from factories are discarded in the same manner, due to which any possible lifeforms in the area can no longer exist within miles of the shore. This directly impacts the livelihoods of local fishermen, and if, by chance, a small quantity of fish is found, its consumption may be a health hazard to the public.
Despite the current state of the Arabian Sea, Scuba divers still go debris-hunting as deep as they can. Their discoveries have so far included a series of materials, such as Styrofoam cups, plastic utensils, plastic wrappers, and recently, an astonishing amount of used surgical masks. Aside from that, fishing nets have been found covering the shallow seabed to a point where it becomes nearly unrecognizable. Swimming further into the remains of a former natural habitat uncovers the most curious objects, including garments and flip-flops, and in even deeper parts of the ocean, the pattern follows all the way down to the Mariana Trench.
Marine debris refers to the solid garbage that human beings dispose of on beaches or in the ocean. As mentioned previously, a combination of both industrial and domestic waste has made it nearly impossible for the sea to sustain life, and with time, the impact makes its way deeper into the ocean. So what happens to the creatures that inhabit these waters?
A staggering number of marine species are endangered by the prevailing state of the Arabian Sea. This includes sharks, sawfish, giant guitarfish and hammerheads. Part of the reason for this is hunting, although, with the waste making its way further away from the shore and driving the fishes deeper into the sea, it is becoming increasingly difficult for fishermen to hunt them for their invaluable fins.
There have also been incidents of sharks being dissected to reveal a carcass full of plastic and other imperishable materials, but one of the major reasons that they are unable to survive is due to the disruption in the food chain. This happens due to smaller fish dying due to excessive pollution, and the remainder of them being consumed by fishermen, who have been forced to move into deeper waters to fish.
With the drainage system already flowing directly into the ocean, the state of the water and its surrounding areas has become abysmal. Sewage water combined with oil spills and plastic makes for an environment so toxic, it leaves marine life with the option to either move towards cleaner waters, or be suffocated. Often, after a large amount of chemicals or oil is dumped into the sea, tens of thousands of dead fish wash onto the shore. The instability of the marine life in the Arabian Sea correlates directly with the trade of the fishermen, whose livelihoods depend entirely on the survival of these animals; it is ironic that such a huge part of the country’s economy is so blatantly being put at risk by the very people who profit from it.
Systematic waste disposal, management and minimization is something that every single part of this planet critically needs. The ocean is in most danger to the lack of accessibility we have to certain parts of it. However, as mentioned earlier, the handful of scuba diving instructors present in critical areas have made it their mission to clean as much of the ocean as they can reach; their resources and comparatively easier access may allow them to do damage control that most people in power refuse to acknowledge the need for.
For anyone willing to make a difference, the cause can be supported by either providing resources, manpower or just spreading the word. Even though the idea of restoring the ocean to its former glory is a bit of a stretch now, even the smallest step in the right direction is a good start.
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