Cyclone Michaung: Oil spill throws life out of gear in Ennore

Chennai: Cyclone Michaung has brought in a new problem to deal with for residents of Ennore, 25 km from here, and near-by villages. Oil spill from a near-by refinery which was reportedly let into the flood water, now spread to about 20 square kilometers, has wrecked their lives.

While people are spending days together cleaning the oil stains from their homes besides losing electronic appliances and documents, thousands of fishermen have not been able to venture into fishing even after rains have stopped as fish catch smells of oil.

Vehicles parked in the area have also been affected with oil stains visible on them even as streets still bearing the traces of oil, despite flood water receding.

Hundreds of fish, prawns, and crabs have been found dead in the Kosasthalaiyar River due to the impact of oil mixing with flood water on December 4 and 5 when extremely heavy rains drenched Chennai.

Oil spill and its effects on environment

Residents of Ernavur, Adi Dravidar Colony, Thiruveethiamman Kovil, and fishing villages complain that they have been encountering several health issues since the oil spill last week, besides feeling suffocated due to the odour of the oil. They allege that the culprit is the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL) refinery in near-by Manali which, according to them, released oil into the flood water.

“There was no pipeline leak at CPCL Manali Refinery. Due to Cyclone Michaung incessant rains occurred, which caused an unprecedented flooding situation inside the refinery…Presently water levels have receded. We're investigating the matter,” the CPCL said.

From burning sensation in the eyes to itching in hands and legs to giddiness, their problems have only increased even as they struggle to rebuild their lives battered by the cyclone.

Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department and Indian Coast Guard (ICG) have acknowledged the spread of thick oily sludge along the Buckingham Canal and across the tail-end of the Kosasthalaiyar River, even as CPCL, which has been accused of releasing oil into the flood water, has outright denied the allegations.

Prabhakaran Veeraarasu, Environmental Engineer, Poovulagin Nanbargal, an NGO, said the environmental impact of the oil spill could be huge as Ennore Creek is an ecologically sensitive zone which is home to about 100 species of fish.

“The oil spill appears thick and is floating on the surface of the flowing water. If the breeding ground (of fish) is affected, what'll happen to the fishermen who depend on fish to make a living? The impact of the oil spill could be seen in the sea if it is not controlled,” he told DH.

Veeraarasu said the Tamil Nadu government should step in immediately and evacuate people living in the oil spill-affected villages and conduct health check-ups on them. Besides conducting a study on their health, the government should ensure that the cleaning is done according to global standards.

The state government on Monday deployed twenty boats with men and materials in the Ennore Creek area for mitigation works.

People’s sufferings

33-year-old Nandhini, a resident of Adi Dravidar Nagar, said she has to start her life from scratch as every household item, electronic appliances, and her clothes got spoiled because of the oil spill.

“The flood water receded in two days but the oil stain is refusing to go. I can’t even touch a plate at home. Every item in the house has oil stains in them. I don’t know what to do. I have been living in my relative’s house for the past week,” she told DH.

The story of 38-year-old Murugan is similar. He is unable to get the oil stains off his modest dwelling in Ernavur despite spending three full days cleaning his house.

“From my driving license to the RC of my two-wheelers to my kids’ school books, everything was lost due to the mixing of oil in flood water. The walls are full of oil stains and we are not able to live with the oil smell,” Murugan told DH.

A recce undertaken by an ICG helicopter found that the oil spill has extended at sea from Kosasthalaiyar river mouth till Kasimedu harbour, extending to about 20 square kilometers. The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has taken suo motu cognizance of the spill and constituted a committee of government officials to arrest the spillage on the Buckingham Canal and ensure that it doesn’t spread to the sea.

What led to the oil spill?

On Monday, the state government appointed a high-level team to study the impact of the oil spill and submit a report to a SOS team headed by Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena. Additionally, Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) Commissioner J Radhakrishnan visited the affected areas and saw for himself the havoc created by the oil spill.

R L Srinivasan, President, Kattukuppam Fishermen Co-operative, said heavy rains and release of excess water from Poondi reservoir led to overflow of water in the Buckingham canal since December 4.

“That's when, we believe, CPCL released oil into the flood water and the oily sludge entered houses in Ernavur, and near-by areas. If not controlled immediately, the oil spill will damage the fragile environment in the Ennore creek. The petroleum stench from the oil will drive away fish and prawns in the area,” Srinivasan, who has filed a petition on the issue in NGT, told DH.

Kumaresan, who has not gone out for fishing since November 29 due to the cyclone alert, agrees with Srinivasan. He says besides the losses to properties, the oil spillage could result in a huge setback to the already fragile environment in Ennore and surrounding areas.

“Our boats which were parked near the river and the nets have been severely damaged due to the oil spill. We can’t even touch the fish as they are slippery and smell heavily of oil. We have been witnessing the death of several marine organisms in our area for the past one week,” he told DH.

He added that the 2017 oil spill due to an accident between two ships off Ennore coast did not affect them much as the sea water absorbed most of the damage. “But now it's the river which has been affected. I don’t know how many more days it'll take for us to resume fishing. The government was then proactive in getting us compensation from private parties. Maybe, they're silent now because CPCL is owned by the Union Government,” Kumaresan said.

Another fisherman, Raja, is spending his time cleaning his boat and checking whether the damaged nets can be repaired. “The monsoon is the most productive prawn fishing season for us, but the oil spill has taken away everything. Even I complained of dizziness for two days due to the smell of the oil and people here have reported several illnesses,” he added.

What did the WRD report say?

The WRD, in its report submitted before the NGT, on Saturday said it is seen visibly that the oil spill or intentional letting of waste soil in the Buckingham Canal and Ennore Creek affected the flora and fauna. The ICG said oil spill in the area could result in disastrous effects of damaging the fragile environment and irreparable loss to the ecosystem.

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, which is being accused by activists and residents of Ennore of trying to downplay the issue by maintaining that only traces of oil were found in the water, is now involved in cleaning the area which is being assisted by the Coast Guard. The government has also collected samples of water from Ennore and near-by areas and sent them for testing.

Prabhakar of Poovulagin Nanbargal also said an Oil Spill Contingency Plan prepared by the Tamil Nadu government after the 2017 oil spill has been pending with the Union Government for the past four years. "In a way, the Union Government is also to be blamed. If the plan was approved, maybe, this would not have occurred," he added.

Tamil Nadu Government’s efforts

On Monday, Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena chaired a review meeting on the situation in Ennore Creek and asked the District Collector of Chennai and Greater Chennai Corporation to enumerate the number of families affected by oil spillage.

“Taking note of the report of the Technical Committee, CPCL was directed to deploy mitigation efforts on a war footing basis with necessary men and machinery under expert guidance. CPCL was also asked to ramp up mitigation measures and complete the task at the earliest,” a statement from the government said.

The Health department, the government said, has already deployed a team of doctors to provide treatment to the needy with specialized services from dermatologists. An estimation of impacted families belonging to fishermen communities is under way by the Fisheries Department, while the TNPCB has issued a notice to CPCL under section 33(A) of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) with directions to comply with the norms prescribed under the extant rules.

A team of senior officers from TNPCB, Forest and Revenue Departments were working in close coordination with District Collectors and monitoring officers to expedite the mitigation and the relief works.