Bengaluru: The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board told the National Green Tribunal on December 21 that teams have skimmed more than 1 lakh litres of oily water, and removed 393.7 tonnes of oily sludge, and 12 kg of tar balls from affected areas in north Chennai where oil leaked from the state-run Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited since December 4. The state’s Fisheries Department assessed compensation for fishers in the area due to the livelihood losses caused by the oil spill. The state government is expected to pay around Rs 366 lakh as compensation, and the CPCL has already paid more than Rs 7.5 crore as compensation to the state Disaster Management Authority, it told the NGT.However, fishers told The Wire that an amount of Rs 10,000 per damaged boat, and Rs 12,500 per fisher family will not suffice for the losses they have incurred due to the oil spill. On December 4, during and in the aftermath of Cyclone Michaung, oil from the CPCL began leaking into Kosasthalaiyar river in north Chennai via the Buckingham Canal and storm drains. The oil also reached the Ennore estuary, a crucial fishing ground for local communities and an important breeding ground for fish. The oil trailed into the Bay of Bengal and covered an expanse of 20 square kilometers, the Coast Guard had estimated.Oily water, sludge, tar ballsAs of December 20, per the latest report to the NGT by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board regarding the oil spill and its impacts, teams have skimmed 105,280 litres of oily water and removed 393.7 tonnes of oily sludge.The water and sludge have been sent to the CPCL for treatment and disposal. Teams also collected tar balls – amounting to 12 kilograms – from the beaches adjoining the Koraikuppam and Konankuppam fishing villages.On December 14, the TNPCB told the NGT that 20 tonnes of oil-soaked soil have been removed from the area so far, along with 7,000 litres of oil mixed with water.The TNPCB also told the NGT on December 21 that tests of the surface and groundwater samples from various stretches collected on various dates showed that several parameters (including ammonia, ozone and benzene) were within the standards mentioned by the Central Pollution Control Board. Canal cleaning has been completed in three stretches – from Nettukuppam to Ennore Bridge, Ennore Bridge to Railway bridge, and from the Railway bridge to the entrance of the Buckingham Canal – out of the total four stretches. Birds, mangroves affectedBased on the NGT’s last order, the state government also provided some details of the impacts of the oil spill on birds. Per the government, a special team of officers from the state forest department inspected the site and are taking “remedial measures for affected avifauna”. Though the team did not find any dead birds, it noticed that some birds were “covered by [an] oily substance”. Per the report, the department is capturing birds that are weak and easy to capture, since it is hard to capture or trap the birds without causing any injuries.However, environmentalists have been spotting several spot-billed pelicans covered in oil in some of the affected areas. Spot-billed pelicans are listed as “near threatened” by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. In his Instagram post, three days ago, birder and naturalist M. Yuvan spotted 20 oil-drenched pelicans at Adyar, Cooum, and Pallikaranai, he said.“We also found a few carcasses of pelicans in the Ennore estuary,” Yuvan told The Wire. Oil spills are a huge concern for waterbirds since oil sticks to their feathers. Birds try to preen it away and inadvertently take in the toxic compounds which can be fatal. The TNPCB also reported to the NGT that it would require “special efforts” – which will take at least two months – to remove oil from the mangroves that have been affected by the oil spill.Meanwhile, the CPCL’s report claimed that their inspection of the mangrove areas in the vicinity found that the interiors of the mangrove patches were not affected. However, they found traces of oil, along the outer line of the mangroves located near the mouth of the Buckingham canal. This will be cleaned under the guidance of the NIO, Goa, CPCL told the NGT.The TNPCB told the NGT that there were no tar balls in the Pulicat lake near the fish landing centre. Earlier, the NGT had asked the state government how the oil spill had reached the Pulicat backwaters. Compensation for fishersFishers can resume their fishing activities after the oil sludge in the fish landing centre, fish landing points and creek has been completed, and their boats and nets cleaned, the Fisheries Department told the NGT. However, the deadline for this has not been listed yet.The department also told the NGT that a relief amount of Rs 12,500 (Rs 7,500 from CPCL and Rs 5000 from the state government) should be paid to fishers for the loss that the oil spill has caused to the livelihood of fisherfolk in the area. The oil spill has not only prevented fishers from using their boats, as the oil sticks to and damages them, but it has also hindered their ability to fish in the polluted waters.Boat owners will be paid Rs 10,000 each for the damage to their boats, per the department. The department has assessed a compensation amount of Rs 3.66 crore, and a request for financial sanction of the amount has been made to the government, as communicated to the NGT. Additionally, the CPCL has agreed to pay more than Rs 7 crore towards compensation for fishermen, and the CPCL has already paid this to the Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority, it said.However, as mentioned earlier, fishers told The Wire that the compensation amounts (of Rs 10,000 per damaged boat, and Rs 12,500 per fisher family) will not suffice for the losses they have incurred.“This amount works as a stop-gap arrangement, a temporary compensation, but this does not suffice for the losses we have faced due to the oil spill,” said R.L. Srinivasan, a fisherman who hails from Kattukuppam, one of the affected villages.Sunlight that falls on their oil-caked boats will cause bubbles on the boat exteriors and interior, which will later develop into cracks, Srinivasan explained. And how can we feed our families for the next few months with a compensation of just Rs 12,500 per family, he asked.“It will take at least three to four months for us to be able to get back to our normal fishing routines and catch,” he told The Wire. “The court is our last resort, and we pray that they will release more funds to see us through this time. Then our trust in the government will increase too.” Maybe the government can set up a committee to look into this appeal to compensate us more fairly, Srinivasan said.The NGT also expressed displeasure with the cleaning of houses done by the CPCL. “Regarding the cleaning of the residences and other small establishments, the method adopted by CPCL is not appreciated as the same can be broken only by using enzymes and requested such kind of cleaning method to be adopted. Besides, even in the soil, the oil has dispersed up to 01 or 02 feet,” it noted. An expert team of the TNPCB is examining the various causes in the cleaning process on land and in water, the government told the NGT.Towards a ‘workable solution’ to prevent future disastersGiven these issues, the NGT has ordered that the cleaning process of the oil sludge be completed “as expeditiously as possible”. It has also ordered the state government to file an interim report, before the next hearing, on the bio-remediation being undertaken by the government for cleaning the oil spill. The NGT has also ordered the TNPCB to watch the north of the south gate for oil leakage and identify any new location of oil leakage and prevent it from spilling into the water bodies. It has also suggested that based on the case and related actions, the government comes up with a “workable solution” along with the Manali Industries Association so that it can “help in avoiding any future disaster”. The NGT will again hear the case on January 11.
