The simultaneous handling of various types of cargo at seaports continues to heighten fears of cross-contamination, making edibles highly dangerous for the health of local consumers, sources believe.
Sources accused Port Qasim Authority (PQA) of violating global standards of cargo handling at the second largest national seaport, saying the authority continued to ignore the simultaneous handling of edibles and other commodities, which are either bound for export purposes, or had already been imported.
Thousands of tonnes of wheat, cement and fertiliser are dumped and handled at nearly close piers including I, II, III and IV wharves of Port Qasim, sources pointed out. "The authority's daily shipping and cargo handling statement clearly indicates that MV Free Envoy, MV Christina, MV Split and MV Aquila Voyager carrying 22,500MT wheat, 15,023MT cement, 35,988MT fertiliser and 30,470MT fertiliser, respectively, have been berthed at Marginal Wharf Number I, II, III and IV," they maintained.
They see the practice a violation of world cargo handling specifications, suggesting the national authority should deal with the edibles differently during handling process to protect them from cross-contamination. Expressing fears, they said cargo handling was being done openly regardless of their specifications, which further exposed the edibles to other commodities containing chemical substance. "The seaport should have different enclosed loading and unloading cargo piers," sources added.
Experts also termed the practice dangerous to the public health, saying eating or inhaling of any chemical substance could cause diseases such as cancer and respiratory problems. When contacted, an official of PQA termed the allegations "baseless", saying the authority was differently and separately handling both edible and inedible cargos. He also negated the impression that there was any cross-contamination at the seaport during the handling process. However, he pointed out that the newly built dry cargo terminal - Fauji Akbar Portia - was handling the wheat cargo at present and PQA was dealing with the imported fertiliser at its wharf.