Oil spill: Clean-up almost complete, say officials

The clean-up, which had been a manual process, saw more than a thousand persons, using buckets to remove the sludge from the coast. More than a week after the collision, authorities say that the work is almost complete. 

A top official from the Kamarajar Port Limited (KPL) said, “The clean-up is over. We have to clean up the rocky area only, which have been affected by the spill. We will wait for a few more days and see if there are any more sheens in the area and accordingly tidy it up.” 

The Coast Guard, meanwhile, added that the cleaning up of the rocky patches would take some time. “We are planning to clean the rocks using hot water scrubbing and then, leave it for natural cleaning,” said a top official. 

An enquiry by various agencies, including the Directorate General of Shipping is underway and the vessels have been prohibited from leaving the port without permission. The oil spill from Ennore had reached the beaches of Marina, Elliot’s and even progressed to the East Coast Road (ECR). Meanwhile, the fishing community has been affected by this. Sales of fish has dropped, affecting the livelihoods of the fishermen. 

K Bharathi, president of South Indian Fishermen Welfare Association (SIFWA), said the fishermen will not head out to sea until Friday. “The public is not buying for the fear of fish being polluted. We go deep into the sea for our catch. Even if we do venture out now, people are not buying sea food. The fishing community has started to directly approach the public, offering them samples of cooked seafood to taste and show it is safe to eat. It is our livelihood that has been affected and we have to do all we can to change the situation,” he concluded.