Experts suggest ways to expedite clean-up operations

Hari Balaji VR, International Consultant - Emergency Management, Singapore, said the government should create public awareness by communicating regularly. “The coastline dwellers will be affected by this disaster. The government must send out constant advisories creating awareness on do’s and don’ts to the public in these areas. Consistent training is needed. We are seeing volunteers clearing the highly toxic oil sludge with bare hands or non-commercial gloves and boots. The Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE) is missing. This raises concerns of longterm health disaster,” he said. 

Speaking of the cleanup process itself, Hari said a combination of clean-up methods can be used to tackle the spill. Dr G P Ganapathy, Associate Professor and Director, Centre for Disaster Mitigation and Management, VIT University, Vellore, explained that there are four basic ways to clean or contain an oil spill, and workers determine the most appropriate method depending on the location of the spill, potential hazards, weather conditions, waves and currents. Other methods include adding biological agents to the spill.  

“Oil that has washed up along a shoreline can be broken down through biodegradation, which occurs when bacteria and other micro-organisms break down the oil into harmless substances, such as fatty acids and carbon dioxide. 

Cleanup crews can speed up this process of biodegradation by adding fertilising nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous, which encourage the growth of micro-organisms. Finally, if there is no threat to the region, the oil spill could be left to disperse naturally,” he concluded.