PSO Sees to the Seas

Pakistan State Oil, the largest energy provider in the country regularly undertakes many initiatives under the ambit of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), with an aim to contribute to the betterment of society from many different platforms. Always at the forefront of innovative initiatives, PSO ventures into a hitherto unexplored domain and sees to the cleanup of the sea bed in the coastal area of Karachi. In the past, many groups have worked towards coastal cleanup, but PSO, going a step further engaged volunteers from Indus Scuba (the country’s first dive center) who donned scuba gear and sought for trash below the water’s surface. Trash travels to the ocean by way of storm drains and waterways and the only way to clean up the bed is by manually picking up everything from cigarette butts and food wrappers to lost fishing nets.

Every year, countless marine mammals, sea turtles, seabirds, and other animals are sickened, injured, or killed because of dangerous items we allow into the sea. They are poisoned, choked, or entangled in the trash we leave behind, from leaky paint cans to empty yogurt cups to cast-off fishing line. Trash also poses health threats to humans, contaminates marine environments, and clogs boat propellers. Industrial waste containing poisonous chemicals is allowed to flow into the sea and leads to severe damage of not only the marine life but the beauty of the sea-shore as well. Karachi generates around 7,000 tonnes of garbage daily which is also disposed off without proper treatment. “We realize that water pollution is a growing menace and there is a lot of damage already done; but we will do our bit to clean up as much as is possible. At least it’s a start,” said Mariam Shah from Corporate Communications at PSO.

Besides the professional divers from Indus Scuba cleaning the sea bed, many PSO employees, equipped with snorkeling gear, were seen very actively involved in collecting garbage adrift along the shore and in the shallower waters. “This is not only a fun excursion but a very useful way to spend a Sunday morning,” opined a volunteer. Majority of the garbage that was dug out was the ubiquitous polythene bag, wrappers and fishing nets.

PSO is proud to be a trailblazer in initiating innovative and out-of-the-box corporate activities that aim at highlighting environmental concerns and bring them to the fore. As the largest public sector organization, PSO is conscious about cementing its environmental stewardship and set examples that are scalable and sustainable. The Company aims to further carry out such projects in collaboration with agencies such as Indus Scuba to set examples for others to follow suit.