Experts say green waters along coasts of Balochistan and Karachi do not pose toxic threat
The coast of Gwadar lights up green as the Noctiluca flower paints the sea. Photo: Express
KARACHI:
The waters along the Gwadar coast have turned green, replacing the usual blue with a greenish hue, caused by a natural marine phenomenon known as Noctiluca bloom, authorities confirmed on Saturday. The phenomenon, widely observed for the first time in 2017, affects not only the coasts of Pakistan but also much of the Arabian Sea, including Iran, India, Oman and the Persian Gulf.
Muhammad Muzammil Khan, technical advisor of DWLF Pakistan, assured that the green waters off the coasts of Balochistan and Karachi do not pose any toxic threat. The bloom was reported on Friday by Abdul Rahim of the Gwadar Development Authority, who noted that large sections of Gwadar’s western and eastern bays had turned green.
DWLF Pakistan, a joint venture between National Logistics Corporation (NLC) and DP World Logistics FZE (DWLF), clarified that these seasonal changes in water color are normal and have been monitored in Pakistan since 2012. Green waters usually appear during the winter months, from November to February. The most intense bloom occurred in 2017, spreading across the Arabian Sea and affecting neighboring countries.
This year, flowering began in November along the waters of Pakistan, stretching from the coastal areas of Balochistan to Karachi. While some observers have mistakenly linked the color green to eutrophication and the growth of cyanobacteria, scientific studies, including reports from Iranian researchers, confirm that it is a natural seasonal process. The phenomenon has also been observed in Pasni, Jiwani and even Sistan in Iran.
Noctiluca is a small, free-floating organism that can appear in red, orange, green, or colorless forms. Along the coasts of Pakistan, the predominant coloration is green or orange. The organism itself is not inherently green; The color comes from an internal pigment, Protogelina noctiluca, which allows it to multiply quickly. Naturally bioluminescent, Noctiluca typically glows at night.
Khan stressed that the current green waters do not pose any risk to health or the environment and have not been linked to the death of fish or marine life. Observations since 2012 show that almost all Noctiluca blooms across Sindh and Balochistan are non-toxic. Misinterpretations often associate the bloom with pollution, but DWLF Pakistan emphasized that it is a natural marine phenomenon, not the result of pollution.
