Greater Chennai Corporation announced that the officials are in talks with the Water Resources Department (WRD) to transport dredged soil to areas in Ennore affected by the oil spill on December 18.
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Dredging is the process of removing sediments, silt and debris from the bottom of waterbodies. The Ennore estuary was dredged in April 2023 for ₹135 crore sanctioned by Kamarajar Port Limited (KPL), as per reports. According to WRD, the dredged soil was deposited at a spot near the estuary.
Additional Chief Secretary and Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner J. Radhakrishnan inspected Nettukuppam and other areas in Ennore under Zone 1 along with officials of GCC, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), Tamil Nadu Fisheries Development Corporation Limited (TNFDC) and personnel from Chennai Enviro Solutions, the private agency to which solid waste management has been outsourced, on Monday.
He said, “These departments and the agency have collaborated for a clean-up of solid waste and oil spill close to Nettukuppam and Ennore estuary. So far, 160 tonnes of solid waste generated due to the spillage has been removed along the Buckingham Canal. Further, 120 tonnes of waste was removed from the interior parts of Ennore.”
After Cyclone Michaung, floodwater mixed with oil was initially observed in Ernavur, which flowed into Ennore Creek and Buckingham Canal, and traces of oil were noted in the coastal waters near the mouth of Kosathalaiyar on December 10. The estimated area affected by the oil spill was roughly 20 sq. km.