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Even as the National Green Tribunal has asked the State government to submit reports on study about the impact of oil spills on fish and sea life by the Fisheries Department and biodiversity study by the Forest Department, the Tamil Nadu government has indicated that it is preparing a plan to restore mangroves habit, impacted by Ennore Creek oil spill.
An exhaustive review of the ongoing oil spillage mitigation work was held at Ennore on Monday by Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Environment, Climate Change and Forest Department. The team also took a comprehensive assessment of the oil spill’s impact on mangroves in the Ennore Creek area.
The department is in the process of preparing a plan for restoration in those areas with the support of specialised agencies like, the Centre for Environmental Studies, Anna University, and M S Swaminathan Foundation, according to an official statement.
The four specialised cleaning agencies engaged in the mitigation works viz. Sea Care and Viraj from Mumbai and Vens Hydralift Pvt. Ltd and Neowin India, have almost completed the removal of floating oil and have started clearing oil deposits from shores, boulders, and oil-laden debris, it said.
About 700 people, 110 boats, 3 skimmers, 2 hydrojets, 5 gully suckers, 1 tractor, 11 tippers, and other machines continued to work on cleaning operations.
High-level meet
A high-level coordination meeting was held with all stakeholders on site by the Additional Chief Secretary to coordinate efforts of various agencies including the Coast Guard, Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd (CPCL), Health Department, Revenue, Fire and Rescue, Fisheries, TNPCB, Department of Environment and Forest Department, it said.
Meanwhile, CPCL maintained that there was no ‘leak in the pipeline or tanks’ and the refinery operation was normal. The CPCL team has also taken samples for detailed chemical analyses. The initial findings of CPCL have revealed that it (oil) was a very ‘light product’ and was not part of the company’s product portfolio.
In addition to restoration measures, about 50 teams have been deployed to clean the houses that were impacted by the oil spil. Cleaning has been completed in more than 500 houses and CPCL has also been providing essential items to the affected families.
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