Day 5: 40 tonnes of sludge removed from sea

A day after the collision, the estimate of the oil spill was pegged at one tonne, which was later increase to 20 tonnes. On February 1, the Coast Guard said, “As on date, about 40 tonnes of oil sludge and 27 tonnes of oil/water mixture have been collected from Ramakrishna Nagar Kuppam site itself.” 

The manual clean-up near the shore got a much-needed shot in the arm, as additional work force was deployed from Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services (TNFRS) and Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to assist the Indian Coast Guard to shovel out buckets of sludge from the shore. 

A top official from Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) said, “The State Government has provided the resources. At Ramakrishna Nagar Kuppam itself, we had deployed a thousand people. The reason for the delay is that the clean-up work must be done manually. We have deployed more people and the operation will continue. Once the spill is entirely cleaned up within February 2, the Coast Guard will use power spray to clean the rocks.” The TNPCB official further added that a study on the impact of oil spill on marine life is being done by the Fisheries Department. 

Meanwhile, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on February 1 directed the TNPCB and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to make a joint inspection and file a detailed report on scientific measures to remediate the affected areas. A source from the NGT said, “The clean-up is being done without proper scientific means. Based on a plea by a Fishermen’s Association, the NGT has directed these two authorities to ascertain the damage to the locality through a joint inspection and file a detailed report suggesting scientific measures for remediation.” 

The oil spill had reached other parts of the shore, including Marina, Elliot’s Beach, Palavakkam and Vettuvankeni. A massive clean-up operation is underway to manually removed the sludge washed ashore in these beaches. An official from the Greater Chennai Corporation said 50-member teams from various zones were being deployed. “A team of 50 people started collecting the tar balls from Marina beach on February 1 and by noon, most of the sludge remains had been collected. The workers were given safety gear and the collected residue will be sent to Ernavur. We will be continuing with this clean-up for the next few days,” concluded the employee.