The Tamil Nadu government’s 20-member State of Oil Spill Crisis Management Group (SOS-CMG), which met on December 11 to discuss the remediation of oil spill in the Ennore-Manali region, said the oil spill had adversely impacted the livelihoods of the fishing community and had directed the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL) to undertake mitigation efforts on a war footing.
The SOS-CMG, headed by Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena, was informed by a technical group constituted by the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Forests on December 10 that “spillage had happened from the premises of CPCL and entered Buckingham Canal from guard ponds and storm-water drains before reaching Ennore Creek.”
On Monday, the stench of crude oil permeated Sadayankuppam in Manali and the fishing hamlets of Ennore. Fishing boats damaged by the sludge were parked along the shore of the Kosasthalaiyar, which continues to carry films of oil into the sea.
Residents of Ennore complained of headache due to the strong odour, skin irritation, and above all, loss of livelihood. Madanagopal of Kattukuppam said fishers had not been able to venture out to the waters for a week because of the oil spill. “Many of our nets have been damaged,” he added.
South Indian Fishermen Welfare Association’s K. Bharathi said boats, engines, and nets belonging to Nettukuppam, Thalankuppam, Ennorekuppam, Mugadwarakuppam, Kattukuppam, and Sivanpadaikuppam had been affected. “Once oil gets into the nets, they cannot be reused. We want Ennore Creek to be cleaned and restored. The companies responsible should also take steps to increase the fish population in the waters,” he said.
As per the official release, the Health Department has deployed a team of doctors to provide treatment to locals. An estimation of impacted families belonging to fishermen communities is under way by the Fisheries Department, it said.
Meanwhile, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) reported that the oil has spread across 20 sq.km into the sea from the Kosasthalaiyar mouth till Kasimedu Fishing Harbour. “Oil spill in the area could result in disastrous effects, damaging the fragile environment, and cause irreparable loss to the ecosystem,” the ICG said in a statement. Specialists from the ICG’s oil spill response team have been deputed to the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) to assist them in clean up actions.
According to M. Kalaiselvam, Director, Centre for Advanced Studies in Marine Biology, Annamalai University, an oil spill would obstruct the passage of sunlight into the sea, thereby destroying the photosynthesising phytoplankton and, as a result, other organisms such as fishes, water-dependent mangroves, and sea birds. “The fish can also become tainted as the oil will get absorbed by their skin,” he said, adding that bioremediation is one of the methods to tackle marine pollution.
