Experts call for reducing acidity in sea at World Oceans Day moot

Environmental pollution has been damaging and poisoning marine life, and also resulting in acidification of the oceans. The change in the pH of oceans can have devastating impact on human lives.

Environmental experts said this on Wednesday at an event organised by the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) to mark World Oceans Day 2022. Scientists said that due to drainage of untreated domestic and industrial waste into the sea, the acidification of seawater was very high near Karachi’s coast compared to Balochistan. They called for taking measures to prevent marine pollution.

The event was addressed by NIO Director General Dr Samina Kidwai, Prof Qing He from China, Justin Ahanhanza from Unesco, Dr Patricia Milosovich, Dr Muhammad Tahir and Dr Vladimir Milosovich, who presented their papers on different aspects of oceans as well as their role in shaping the world, maritime activities and oceans’ potential for providing food to mankind.

They maintained that amount of microplastic found in fish and other marine animals was increasing significantly while other pollutants were also being found in fish and other seafood, which could prove extremely harmful for those eating them. They warned that the marine ecosystem was at the verge of collapse due to environmental pollution.

Dr Muhammad Tahir, a marine geophysicist, spoke about mapping of the sea and seabed 2030 project, saying seafloor mapping and study of sediment could help understand the past climate change.

The event was told that efforts were under way to map the seafloor through the Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 project – which aimed to create a global map of the ocean by the end of the decade. The event was also attended by representatives of the Maritime Security Agency and Sindh Environmental Protection Agency.