Oil, tar balls on beaches raise spill fears; Coast Guard says it’s common
MUMBAI: Patches of oil and tar balls on beaches along a 150-km long stretch of coast in Maharashtra, Daman and Gujarat have raised fears of a spill in the Arabian Sea.
An environmentalist from Surat, Gujarat filed complaints with the Union environment ministry alleging there could have an oil spill along the west coast
Brackish Water Research Centre (BWRC), based in Surat, said oil patches were first seen along Gujarat beaches from August 4 onwards, with more beaches reporting spills till August 8.
“We surveyed 22 beaches from August 6 onwards and found that oil and tar balls were strewn along the high tide line on all of them. The source most probably is the oil and gas exploration and production, offshore wells and pipelines of the Bombay High along the west coast. The pipelines have either burst, there was a rupture or spillage from these units has caused this,” said MSH Sheikh, environmentalist and president, BWRC.
He said that aquatic life could be affected by the spill.
The Coast Guard confirmed that oil, tar balls and garbage had washed ashore these beaches, but said it was common phenomenon during the monsoon.
“As of now, no oil spills have been reported in the Arabian Sea. We do not know what exactly is the cause of these sediments washing ashore. However, a team was sent to Gujarat to survey these areas. Villagers told them that this happens along isolated beaches every year during this season. We informed the Gujarat Pollution Control Board about the issue, and they collected samples for further analysis of the black deposition and its source,” said Avinandan Mitra, Coast Guard PRO (west) deputy commandant.
Marine experts were worried about the impact of the spill on aquatic animals and plants. “The effects of oil sediments along the
coastline are disastrous for the beach and marine biodiversity. While the short-term effects might include the change in colour of the beach, death of fish and mammals closer to shore, longterm effects can be blockage of all oxygen passage to the entire marine ecosystem in the area,” said Dr Baban Ingole, head, marine biology department, National Institute of Oceanography (NIO).