The State Oil Crisis Management Group on Wednesday directed Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL) to ramp up mitigation work by deploying more oil boomers, skimmers, and trained manpower in Ennore as part of its efforts to remove the oil in North Chennai.
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The Group that met under the Chairmanship of Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena, also directed the Company to ensure that all precautionary measures were taken to safeguard the health and safety of those involved in the operation. An official press release here said it had been told to ensure that protective gear and safety equipment were provided.
The Group, which reviewed mitigation works under way at Ennore Creek area and other impacted villages, was informed that oil boomers were put in place to contain the spread of oil. An oil skimmer machine was pressed into service on Wednesday to extract oil from the waterway. Four more oil skimmers are planned to be deployed in the next two days.
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In order to speed up the mitigation work, 75 boats and 300 personnel have been pressed into service. These boats are involved in sucking oil from the surface and transporting it safely to shore. Four gully sucker machines have been deployed to suck oil. The work regarding the cleaning of oil-soaked debris from nearby villages had begun with earth movers and other equipment.
An additional 500 m of boom and a skimmer, arranged from Paradip port, were on their way. CPCL has also arranged 250 m of boom from the Chennai port. This is in addition to the 1050 m of booms already arranged from various sources. A 300-m single containment boom has been installed at the mouth area of the creek in addition to the 325 m of two layered booms installed near the bridge. With this, the spill will be contained within the creek and will not enter the sea.
Manual cleaning of the shoreline in the creek area was being carried out on a continuous basis, and till now, about 20 MT of solid waste has been cleared. A second agency from the Kamarajar Port Oil Spill Management Team has commenced operation. CPCL was also in talks with another Mumbai-based agency, which is likely to begin helping within a couple of days.
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Additional PPEs, including 600 gloves and masks, 250 gumboots, and 150 goggles, had been distributed to the local workforce in the Ennore Creek area. A total of 1,000 bags of rice and 3,000 bags of groceries have been handed over to the nodal officer on Wednesday. This was in addition to the 5,000 bags of rice and 3,000 bags of groceries previously distributed.
In order to take care of the health of people at nearby villages, the Health Department has set up mobile camps with specialised doctors. The Department of Animal Husbandry has organised a special camp for treatment of impacted stray and pet animals in nearby villages. Teams from the Forest Department, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) and the Department of Environment have been positioned on the ground to monitor the work.
The Group directed the Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner and the Director of Fisheries to undertake a comprehensive review of the impacted families and submit the list to the Relief Commissioner.
On Tuesday, the TNPCB had issued directions to CPCL that it will be liable to pay environmental compensation for any damages caused due to oil spillage in Buckingham Canal during the Michaung Cyclon. The directions include that the CPCL shall be liable to pay compensation to the families adversely impacted due to the oil spill, including the loss of livelihood.