When we think of oil spills, we almost always think of the adverse impacts they impose on the various environments and wildlife and often neglect that oil spills can also bring about negative effects and inconvenience to the human population.
Image source 1: Statistics of value of farm production in Singapore taken from official AVA website
Image source 2: Statistics of local production taken from official AVA website
From source 1, in 2013, local fisheries contributed a total of $121.3 million worth of farm production, approximately half of the total value of farm production in Singapore. As seen from source 2, Singapore locally produced a total of 6,775 tons of seafood in 2013. From these statistics, we see that there is a significant proportion of Singapore domestic market, such as the fisheries, which is dependent on the condition and quality of the Singapore waters to maintain its level as well as its quality of production.
Therefore, with the onslaught of oil spills in Singapore waters, fisheries would undoubtedly be affected as the oil from the spillage gunk up their nets. The fisheries are likely to suffer a significant reduction in their fish stocks, and coupled with consumers refusing to buy contaminated products, there is the possibility of the imminent closure of these fisheries. This would as a result, affect the livelihood of those who depend on the waters for a living until the oil spills are thoroughly cleared up.
Consumption issues:
Even if fishes and seafood are farmed or caught, they might not be safe for human consumption. These fishes and seafood are likely to have consumed the oil stains during their feeding. Therefore, oil spills could affect the health of humans who consume these toxic and contaminated sea produce.
Whether the drinking water is safe for consumption in Singapore should not pose much of a problem as it is highly unlikely anyone in Singapore would drink from a public source where the water is not treated. However in countries like India and Africa, oil spills can be very hazardous and harmful to the human body. Consumption of oil-contaminated water can cause stomachaches and nausea while washing and bathing in these waters can result in skin rashes.