Fishermen, living on the western shores, are suffering from the impact of Covid and the burning of the ship that contains chemicals, several days ago. For its part, the marine environment protection authority stated that the fire that broke out on the X-Press Pearl ship severely damaged the marine environment in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan activists also raised concerns about the threats to marine life posed by the oil leaked from the ship. It is reported that fishing was banned in the affected areas and only fish caught from other areas were allowed to be consumed.
Fishermen expressed concern over the adverse effects on their livelihoods due to the sinking of the burning ship that contains chemicals. The fisherman stated that though the incident seems to be interesting news to a fraction of the population, the incident has negatively affected the fisherman in the area and could last for some time due to the damage caused to the marine biological environment.
Another fisherman acknowledging the damage further stated that the fisherman may go hungry for at least another two years due to the negligence of the authorities. A fisherman commented that they are yet to see whether any relief will be provided from the government sector.
Source : A24