NGT ‘unhappy’ with oil spill remediation in Ennore, directs Tamil Nadu government and CPCL to expedite work

The bench, comprising Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Satyagopal Korlapati, sought details of the amount of oil involved in the spill, how much of it has been removed, and the measures taken to contain the spread of oil

The State informed the tribunal that containment booms have to be erected up to one kilometre from the estuary to prevent oil from entering into the sea. | Photo Credit: B. JOTHI RAMALINGAM

The southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Tuesday expressed dissatisfaction with the extent of work done to prevent oil spreading along the Kosasthalaiyar river in Ennore and directed oil companies and the State government to expedite clean-up operations.

Hearing a suo motu case on oil spill from industries in Manali, including the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL), the bench, comprising Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Satyagopal Korlapati, questioned officials on details of the amount of oil involved in the spill, how much of it has been removed, and the measures taken to contain the spread of oil.

When the public prosecutor said the details had to be sought from government officials, the bench remarked: “Will you go out and ask the government for an answer to every question? Why is no higher official present?” The bench on December 9 formed a high-level committee to probe the oil spill and submit a report.

Following this, the State of Oil Spill Crisis Management Group (SOS-CMG) convened a meeting to discuss the issue and stated in a release that the CPCL has to mitigate the effects of oil spill on a war footing. On Tuesday, the government submitted that oil has spread up to 11km from Buckingham Canal. 

The bench asked if booms, which are temporary floating barriers, can be placed at 11.5km and further directed the government to obtain suggestions from Kamaraj Port, Chennai Port Trust, and the Coast Guard. According to the advocate of CPCL, 10,000 oil absorbing pads have been used to extract oil and there are 20,000 pads available with them. He also said that in some places, the company was facing resistance from fisherfolk during clean-up efforts.

Further, the State informed the tribunal that containment booms have to be erected up to one kilometre from the estuary to prevent oil from entering the sea, and that till now booms have been erected at 75 metres. 

When the counsel appearing for the fisherfolk said that children were being engaged in the clean-up operations without protective gear, the tribunal asked the State to advise parents not to send minors for oil extraction and to provide necessary safety equipment to those involved in the work.

The case was adjourned to December 14.