Barran Press
A local official in Hodeidah province, western Yemen, has contradicted the statement of the Yemeni Minister of Information, attributing the recent fish deaths and discoloration of the Red Sea off the coast of Al-Khokha district to a natural phenomenon rather than pollution from the sunken ship "Rubymar."
Fethi Ata, director general of the General Authority for Environmental Protection in Hodeidah, stated on Wednesday that the changes in the seawater and fish deaths in the Abu Zahar coast are a "natural phenomenon that should not cause concern."
Ata, responding to inquiries from "Barran Press," explained that this phenomenon occurs annually in June and July, but acknowledged that it was "more pronounced this year." He emphasized that it was not caused by any pollution.
"If there were pollution, the effects would first appear in the areas of Dhu Bab, as the winds are northerly," he stated.
Regarding the authority's response to such occurrences, Ata confirmed that the Hodeidah branch has a technically equipped team trained in coastal monitoring. This team collects weekly samples from the coast and sends them to laboratory analysis centers.
He reported that the team had visited the Abu Zahar coast on Wednesday, taking photographs and documenting the area. "There is no pollution and no fish deaths so far," he added, reiterating that "according to the analysis, there is no pollution."
Regarding the "Rubymar" ship, which was previously targeted by the Houthis, Ata stated that it has "remained in the same position for two months, it has not sunk further, and there has been no leakage from it."
In his interview with "Barran Press," Ata condemned the Houthis, internationally classified as a terrorist group, for targeting the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden ecosystems.
He warned that the Houthis' repeated attacks on ships in the Red Sea could lead to pollution. He also expressed concern about the potential for oil spills from damaged ships, which could harm thousands of fishermen and cause a humanitarian crisis in addition to an environmental one.
Ata appealed to the international community, particularly the United Nations, to intervene and pressure the Houthis to cease their attacks on ships passing through the Red Sea, for the sake of the marine environment and human life.
Contrary to Ata's statement, the official Yemeni news agency Saba, citing the Yemeni Minister of Information Muammar al-Eryani, attributed the fish deaths and water discoloration in Al-Khokha to the sinking of the "Rubymar" after being targeted by the Houthis.