M V Xpress Pearl disaster

By Rathindra Kuruwita

The huge environmental damage caused by the MV X-Press Pearl had been eclipsed by other issues, Sajeewa Chamikara of the Movement for Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR) told The Island yesterday.

The government was entirely focused on compensation and seems to have no interest in managing the continuing environmental destruction, Chamikara said.

“MV X-Press Pearl was carrying a large cargo of toxic chemicals and it sank in shallow waters and in a high bio diversity area after a fire. This will have significant long-term impacts not only on environment but also on fisheries and tourism,” Chamikara said.

The ship sank in Thambagala area – and it was one of the sites from where sand was excavated for the Port City. The area had a number of rock and sand ecosystems and seagrass beds, he said. Many marine animals lay eggs and breed in the area, he said.

“This area attracts a lot of marine animals who come to feed on small fish. This is why there are many dolphins and whales in the area. Five turtle species can also be found in this area. When the area is polluted it will affect these species. Turtles and other marine mammals are protected by Flora and Fauna Protection Ordinance (FFPO.) However, since the accident thousands of marine species have died.”

Chamikara said close to 300 bodies of turtles had washed ashore and the post mortems showed that they had died of exposure to toxins and oil.

“When such a large group of animals die this lowers the density value of the species. When the animal density drops beyond a certain limit, they will go extinct,” the activist pointed out.

“Dredging of sand for the Port City had already affected the area. When things started recovering, this disaster happened. There is a possibility of the area losing its biodiversity and that in turn will affect fisheries and tourism.”

Senior Advisor to the Centre of Environmental Justice (CEJ) Hemantha Withanage said that oil had been leaking from the X-Press Pearl ship for at least a month and nothing had been done to fix the leak.

“The government has been informed. But it is waiting till end of the stormy season and by that time all the oil will have been released into the ocean.”