Environmental scientist Dr. Ajantha Pereratoday filed a Fundamental Rights petition in Supreme Court seeking an order to take immediate steps for the prosecution of all those responsible in connection with the X-Press Pearl disaster.
The petitioner also seeks an order directing the authorities to secure compensation for the damages to the environment and eco systems following the X-Press Perl ship disaster.
In her petition, Dr. Perera is seeking an order directing the authorities to set up a Restoration and Conservation Fund for the environmental degradation due to the pollution caused by the X-Press Perl vessel.
The petitioner is seeking an order to allocate not less than 70% of all compensation received, for the restoration of oceanic environment.
The petitioner had named Marine Environment Protection Authority and its Chairman Dharshani Lahandapura, Sri Lanka Ports Authority,
State Minister of Urban Development NalakaGodahewa and several others as respondents.
The petitioners stated that according to maritime information available it has been revealed that this vessel carried 1486 cargos in its last mission and half of the containers had 42 different chemicals including Lithium- Iron batteries, lead ingots, copper slags, Nitric Acid, Lubricating oil, Gear oil, Epoxy resin, urea, Sodium Methoxide, Aluminium processing byproducts, sulphur and some unknown inorganic materials as well as 439 containers ( least 46,960 bags) of LDPE and HDPE plastic nurdles ( Pellets) and furthermore, the necessary fuel and other types of oil ordinarily carried on a vessel together with another 300 metric tons of bunker oil and the lubricating oil containers which were in this consignment.
The petitioners state that they reasonably believe that massive quantity of the aforesaidtoxic and dangerous substances are now mixed into the territorial waters and have resulted in destroying and contaminating the marine environment including the coral environment, the sea bed and rich fishing habitats located off Colombo Harbor and surrounding coastal stretch.
The petitioners state they are in possession of verified information as appearing in the public media that this container ship had transported atleast 46,960 bags of LDPE and HDPE plastic nurdles (Pellets) packed in 20 containers and this incident spilled at least 70-75 billion plastic nurdles to the marine environment.
The Petitioner state that 439 containers of Plastics and another more than thousand containers of chemicals and dangerous goods made up more than a one third of the ship’s cargo and it is predicted that some of the chemicals found in the ship will have massive adverse impact to the marine eco system.
