Oil spill from Ennore reaches Marina

The fishermen living near Marina beach said the air smelt funny, as they prepared to set sail for the day, in the early hours of Monday. Bharathi K, President of South India Fishermen’s Welfare Association said that the oil spill has polluted the shores of Marina, skimming the surface of the ocean up to five nautical miles. 

“The group of fishermen who went to the sea, returned without any catch as the oil stench was unbearable. The oil kept sticking to the fishing nets. We complained to the Tamil Nadu State Coastal Zone Management Authority (TNSCZMA),” said the fisherman. Chinnadurai, a fisherman from Nochikuppam, who tried into venture to the sea, returned disappointed. 

“On Monday at 4 am, when we went near the shore to go fishing, we could see the oil on the sea. We couldn’t get into the water, as the oil, which was a black tarlike substance, kept sticking to our legs. We returned without catching anything. It seems like we can’t venture into the sea for the next few days. Without the means to fish, we really don’t know how we will make ends meet. If this situation is not resolved soon, we may have to borrow money to feed our families,” he rued. 

The oil spill had reached Pattinapakkam. The mopping operations is being done by the Coast Guard Pollution Response Team (East) along with the District Collector, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), Kamarajar Port and the local fisheries authorities. Initial assessments revealed that a patch of about 50 X30 metres stretch along the rock beach area was affected by HFO (heavy fuel oil or furnace fuel oil). 

Saravanan K, an office-bearer of the Urur Kuppam Fisher Welfare Cooperative, said the oil spill had reached their side of the ocean as well. “When we went to the shore by 4 pm, we saw that the oil had come up to the beach, since it was a high tide. In some of the places, we saw shoals of dead fish. When we gutted the fish, all we could see was oil,” said the fisherman and social activist. An official from the TNPCB said that there was a chance that some of the spillage may have moved to other parts of the shore. 

“Initially, the coast guard team used the oil mop skimmer to absorb the oil. But since it was thick, more people, including the locals, were deployed to manually scoop out the oil. We have removed around six tonnes of oil so far. The distance between where the spill occurred and the place where it is accumulated, is around 12 metres. There is a chance of some of the oil moving to other parts of the shore. But the spill is containable and work is going on to remove it at the earliest,” said the source. 

The impact of the oil spill on the environment should be taken up by the Fisheries Department and the Tamil Nadu State Coastal Zone Management Authority (TNSCZMA).