AUTHORITIES sprung into action minutes after a tanker was found dumping oil in an environmentally strategic water channel in the country yesterday.
The private truck, allegedly belonging to a construction company, was draining used oil into the Ma’ameer canal at around 10am.
Supreme Council for Environment (SCE) said it took immediate action after it was alerted about the incident and referred the matter to relevant authorities.
“Experts from the council visited the site to investigate the matter,” the SCE said in a statement yesterday.
“Details were verified and appropriate legal measures were taken before the issue was circulated on social media.
Measures
“There will be no complacency in taking legal measures against anyone who puts the environment at risk.”
It was Bahraini historian Jassim Al Abbas who recorded on his mobile the brazen act committed in broad daylight. He even confronted the Asian driver, who allegedly claimed that he was only ‘directed to do the job.’
“The oil was supposed to be discharged in Askar,” Mr Al Abbas told the GDN.
“However, the driver said he was asked to dump it instead in the Ma’ameer channel as the company didn’t have to pay a fee for the job, unlike in Askar.
“I was shocked and I reported the matter to the SCE.
“An official immediately arrived and took details of the driver and the company.
“The truck belonging to a construction company in Riffa has been confiscated.”
Mr Al Abbas, a Ma’ameer resident, claimed several businesses were shamelessly breaching environment rules, threatening the health of residents and thwarting government’s efforts to protect the green belt.
The canal, part of Tubli Bay located in the southern part of Bahrain, is undergoing a massive expansion as part of a government plan to inject new life into the surroundings that are home to Bahrain’s lush mangroves.
The GDN reported last year that three multi-million dinar projects are being carried out in a bid to reduce pollution and avert mass fish deaths which have been a regular occurrence in the area.
The projects will improve water circulation in the bay and surrounding areas, clear it of organic waste and ensure a cleaner and greener coastline.
“Several projects and investments were initiated recently in Ma’ameer and surrounding areas to reduce pollution and waste,” Mr Al Abbas said.
“However, there are businesses that still find ways to illegally dump truckloads of waste, including used car oil, into the canal. The quantity is so huge that we can even see black spots on the shore.
“All efforts of the government are ending in vain as there is no supervision.
“It is unfortunate. The water is so dangerously contaminated that it’s harmful for fish and residents alike.”
The Cabinet had ordered an environmental assessment of Ma’ameer and the surrounding areas in June 2020. The study focused on air quality and emissions by factories and industrial establishments.
The assessment follows an investigation completed at the end of April 2020 that showed red tide and an increase in pollutants led to thousands of dead fish washing ashore in Ma’ameer and Eker.
Videos circulating on social media regularly showed small dead fish washing ashore on the coasts of both villages. An initial probe by the SCE stated that the fish died from red tide, which is a phenomenon caused by algal blooms as they deplete oxygen and release toxins into water.
The SCE also found an increase in pollutants like ammonia and faecal bacteria, which it attributed to sewage dumping.
Area MP Ammar Al Mukhtar told the GDN that yesterday’s incident was not an isolated case.
“There have been several violations of this kind, and I have personally brought them to the attention of the authorities – but no action has been taken yet,” he alleged.
“We urge the government to take strict measures to crack down on such incidents happening in broad daylight.”
raji@gdn.com.bh
&uuid=(email))