Drive to clean beaches of tar enters Day Two

The drive to clean beaches dirtied by tar or oil sludges in Malpe beach and St Mary’s island entered Day Two on Thursday.

Ten volunteers along with district administration and Malpe Development Committee collected hazardous waste deposited on Malpe beach which weighed more than 50 kg. Since a week, tar have been washing ashore in Yermal, Hejamady, Malpe, Kodi Kanyana, Beejadi and surrounding areas.

Sudesh Shetty, who was awarded the lease of developing Malpe beach, suspects that a ship must have released oil in high seas. “Thus the oil blobs or tar washed ashore. It is liquid petroleum hydrocarbon and a big threat to the marine ecosystem,” he warned.

The deposition of tar on the beach left many worried. Shopkeepers in Malpe beach are worried about the impact of the oil spill on the tourism. Those dependent on tourism to eke out a living feared that the filth will bring disrepute to the beautiful beaches and will have a negative impact on the footfall also.

Prasad S, who owns a shop near Malpe beach, recollected how oil spill had destroyed the beauty of the beach during previous summer.

Shekar, a fisherman from Malpe, said the oil blobs might have a negative impact on fish breeding and force people to stop consuming fish.

Meanwhile, Pollution Control Board officials reviewed the cleanliness drive conducted at the Malpe beach on Thursday.

Dues to the waves, the tar were found all along the shore from Malpe to Bijur (near Kundapur), about 30 km in distance.

“If the tar are not removed and disposed off scientifically, they will pose danger to the marine ecology,” officials from the pollution control board warned.