Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd (CPCL) on Friday said that oil content on surface of the water in the Ennore Creek has come down due continuous cleaning work.
In a statement, the company said that two oil skimmers were in continuous operation for removal of trapped oil, with the help of booms. The company expressed confidence that it would finish cleaning the oil on the surface of the water in three days.
As of Friday, December 15, 2023, four layers of oil barrier booms continued to be deployed to prevent the spread of oil. An additional 80 metres of booms were installed, supplementing the existing booms. Another 500 metres of booms have reached Chennai from Paradip (Odisha) along with oil skimmers.
Sufficient boats and manpower have been deployed for oil removal activities at the creek. Through the cleaning efforts, a major portion of the oil slick under Ennore Road Bridge has been removed. A fleet of heavy machinery has been deployed for oil removal and mechanical shore and creek area cleaning, the company stated.
To address the health needs of the workers and communities, three mobile medical units with requisite medicines, doctors and paramedics have been stationed by CPCL in Ennore Creek and nearby villages, benefiting approximately 1,900 individuals as of Friday. Apart from kits of groceries, rice and women’s clothing handed over yesterday, kits including essential items like rice, dhotis, bedsheets, mosquito coils and sarees have been handed over to the State Nodal Officer.
The Head of the Department of Community Medicine (Madras Medical College) has also visited the creek and taken stock of the situation while interacting with the workers involved in the clean-up activities and to expedite PPE (personal protective equipment) compliance.
Mechanical cleaning equipment for shore cleaning has been dispatched on an emergency basis from Mumbai and will reach Chennai shortly to expedite the shore cleaning process, the statement added.
Meanwhile, a team of experts from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) collected samples of water, soil and oil from various locations that had been affected.
