Green tribunal forms panel to probe crude oil spill in Ennore

CHENNAI: With industrial effluents and crude oil mixed with flood water entering the residential areas in Ennore, the southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has formed a committee to inspect the affected areas and file a report.

The tribunal was hearing a suo motu case pertaining to the issue. Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and the expert member Satyagopal Korlapati of the southern bench, formed the panel under the Secretary of the Environment department.

The committee includes the chairperson of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), the chief engineer of the Water Resources Department, the Director of Fisheries Department, the District Collectors of Chennai and Tiruvallur.

The tribunal ordered the committee to visit the affected areas on December 11 and file a report on December 12, when the next hearing is due.

During the hearing, the TNPCB pointed out that the crude oil entered the Buckingham Canal from the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL) plant and said that there is no evidence for accidental oil discharge. The Water Resources Department stated that crude oil leaked and mixed with rain water. However, the CPCL denied the allegations of crude oil discharge from its premises.

Since the night of December 4, the industries around Ennore have been letting out chemical waste and crude oil along with rainwater into the Buckingham Canal that merges with the Kosasthalaiyar River, alleged the fishermen. The oil and waste are entering the sea unchecked, they added.

Following the complaints, two teams from the TNPCB inspected the areas along the river to identify the source of pollution. The team observed the traces of oil in the Buckingham Canal, mainly on the banks. It was observed that the oil ingress mainly occurred due to the storm water drain from the Manali industrial area converging with the Buckingham Canal.

“At this juncture, the team attempted to find out the source of the oil and found that there is some stagnant storm water along with oil, adjoining to the storm outlet near the south gate of CPCL, which is slowly contributing to oil traces,” a TNPCB statement said.