Pollutants not just affecting our harbour, but our marine life too
While a leading professional diver shows us the massive amounts of rubbish polluting Suva Habour beneath the ocean surface, a USP Master’s student reveals that lots of marine life have microplastics within them. He says the degree of ingestion by these common inshore species is of the same order of magnitude as those found in China
Raw sewage discharge is the worst pollutant in the Suva Harbor, a leading professional diver says.
The situation is worsened when the sewer lines breaks down and overflows into the harbour. Jonathan Smith has been diving for more than 20 years, and has been working in the Suva Harbour since 2017. He inspects and surveys ships underwater for the Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji (MSAF). His work involves working and fixing underwater machinery for ships propellers, rudders, bow thrusters. He also works on bridges, jetties and moorings.
He is also a ship captain.
Captain Smith said stringent laws must be implemented and enforced to deter industries from disposing their toxic waste materials into the harbour.
“Authorities need to take immediate action by way of fines and laws to repair the damage caused by commercial and industrial activities,” he said.
As the commercial centre for Fiji and the Pacific, Suva continues to expand in terms of population and industrialisation.
Last week during the USP Journalism-Internews Earth Journalism Network Environmental Journalism Workshop Matakite Maata, a senior lecturer at the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences aired similar sentiments.
He said the sources of Heavy Metals in the Suva harbour include: Steel works
Garages
Slipway
Marina
Rubbish dump
Battery factory
Paint companies
Rusty/junk vessels
Heavy metals is a type of chemical element, many of which are toxic to humans.
Plastic still a big problem
“Since the invention of plastic, which does not decompose, the whole seabed in Suva Harbour is littered with plastic to a depth of more than five metres,” Captain Smith said.
Government banned all singleuse plastics from January 1, 2020. Whether the ban has helped minimise the Suva harbour’s plastic problem is yet to be determined. Captain Smith said the water in the harbour needed to be properly tested.
He cautioned the consumption of seashells gleaned from the harbour.
“[Seashells] would be heavily contaminated with heavy metals, etc. Fish on the other hand would be okay because they move around and would have less threat on containing those contaminants,” he said. Captain Smith said pollution of the harbour had grown with the increase in population and modernisation. “What people don’t realise is that any rubbish discarded on land, even if it’s way up in the highest mountain, it will make its way to the ocean via rivers and streams and drains,” he said. “So imagine all that rubbish you see on land every day? What is on the Suva Harbour seabed is a million times worse from all the decades of rubbish being washed into Suva Harbour 365 days a year, for as long as Suva has been an official port of call.
“I’ve been diving for more than 20 years and seen some pristine places in my travels – Fiji has a long way to go in terms of educating the public on littering and pollution.” Captain Smith said the Marine Trashnet Audit with Action Programme by the Department of Environment was a good initiative. It was launched in June with the first trash net placed close to Bailey Bridge, Samabula River, in Suva. The net will capture waste from rivers and creeks – preventing it from ending up in the oceans. Captain Smith said trash nets should be spread across all the rivers and drains and streams around Fiji.
What people don’t realise is that any rubbish discarded on land, even if it’s way up in the highest mountain, it will make its way to the ocean via rivers and streams and drains Captain Jonathan Smith Diver
Micro-plastics
University of the South Pacific Master’s student, Andrew Paris was frank about human attitude towards plastic.
“It is shameful,” he said.
As a recipient of the USP-European Union Marine Partnership (PEUMP) Programme scholarship, he spoke at the USP JournalismInternews Earth Journalism Network Environmental Journalism Workshop last week. He co-authored research titled ‘Presence of microplastics in water, sediments and fish species in an urban coastal environment of Fiji, a Pacific small island developing state’ - published in the Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2020. Microplastics are very small pieces of plastic that pollute the environment.
The study found microplastics in seawater, freshwater, fish, crabs, molluscs and birds, in sediments from across the country.
In an opinion piece published in The Guardian last month, Mr Paris said they had found three fish collected from the greater Suva inshore environment contained microplastics. One fish was found to contain an astounding 68 particles.
“The degree of ingestion by these common inshore species is of the same order of magnitude as those found in China.”
He said the very plastics we use to preserve our food are the same ones that are contaminating it.
This makes the problem a rather complex one which requires a complex response.
But Mr Paris is optimistic. A change in human behaviour can curb careless habits of waste disposal. This means starting with our young and have waste management a part of our education curriculum.
He also called on authorities to put in place effective waste management policies.