An oil spill in an ignored wetland in Tamil Nadu

Subject :Environment

Section: Pollution

Context:

Cyclone Michaung brought heavy rainfall to the city which also turned its attention to the wetlands of the heavily industrialised Ennore-Manali region in the northern part of the city where oil had spilled over from the premises of a public sector refinery.

Details:

Oil spills polluted the Buckingham Canal and the Kosasthalaiyar River, both empties into the Bay of Bengal, at Ennore, Tamil Nadu.

Impact of oil spills on the environment:

Organisms such as plankton, plants, invertebrates, fish, birds, and mammals live in habitats that include water, sediments, beaches, wetlands, and forests.
Oil can kill surface-dwelling animals and birds by poisoning or suffocation, as well as affecting buoyancy and natural waterproofing.
Contaminated food supplies mean animals may become malnourished or poisoned over time.
Toxic chemicals remain in the ocean for years, often sinking down to the seafloor and poisoning the sediment.

NATIONAL OIL SPILL DISASTER CONTINGENCY PLAN (NOS-DCP):

The Plan came in 1993.
Indian Coast Guard has been designated as the Central Coordinating Authority for combating oil spills in Indian waters and undertaking oil spill prevention and control.
The objectives of the plan are:-
- to establish an effective system for the detection and reporting of spills;
- to establish adequate measures for preparedness for oil and chemical pollution;
- to establish appropriate response techniques to prevent, control, and combat oil and chemical pollution, and dispose-off recovered material in an environmentally sound manner; and
- to establish record-keeping procedures to facilitate recovery of costs.

Oil Zapper:

An oil zapper is used to remove the oil by using a bio-remediation method. Oilzapping is a method for cleaning up significant oil spills from a surface. This method involves releasing bacteria that consume hydrocarbon compounds found in waste hydrocarbon and crude oil.
It is a patented light brown powder made of four different bacteria to break down these hydrocarbons. The powder may be applied to both land and water.

Uses of Oilzapper:

Five distinct bacterial strains are immobilized and then released onto the oil spill in an oil zapper along with a carrier substance. An oil zapper can be used for the following purposes:
- To clear up shorelines after major oil spills.
- To clear out the hydrocarbon waste generated by oil refineries.
- To reduce the impact of harmful oil spills on the environment by converting the harmful compounds into simple carbon dioxide and water.

Ennore Creek:

It is a backwater located in Ennore, Chennai along the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal.
It is located in the zone comprising lagoons with salt marshes and backwaters, submerged under water during high tide and forming an arm of the sea with the opening to the Bay of Bengal at the creek.
Once a flourishing mangrove swamp, the creek has been degraded to patches in the fringes mainly due to human activities in the region.
The depth of the creek varies from 1 to 2 m and is shallow near the mouth.
The north–south trending channels of the creek connect it with the Pulicat Lake to the north and to the distributaries of the Kosasthalaiyar River in the south.

Kosasthalaiyar river:

It originates near Pallipattu in Thiruvallur district and drains into the Bay of Bengal.
Its northern tributaryNagari River originates in the Chitoor district of Andhra Pradesh and joins the main river in the backwaters of Poondi reservoir.
Its catchment area is spread over Vellore, Chitoor, North Arcot, Thiruvallur and Chennai districts.
It branches near Kesavaram Anicut and this tributary flows to the Chennai city as Cooum River, while the main river flows to the Poondi reservoir.
From Poondi reservoir it joins the sea at Ennore Creek.

Kamaraj Port in Ennore:

Earlier known as the Ennore Port, is the 12th major port of India.
It is located on the Coromandel Coast about 24 km north of Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
It is the only corporatized major port in India and is registered as a company.
The port was declared as a major port under the Indian Ports Act, 1908 in March 1999.