CHENNAI: The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has prepared a firsthand assessment report on the oil spill along the Chennai coastline after an Isle of Man LPG tanker W Maple collided with M T Dawn Kancheepuram on the Kamarajar Port channel on January 28.
R M Bharadwaj, scientist with the CPCB, told Express that the report would be submitted at the National Green Tribunal (NGT) during the hearing scheduled for February 20.
He said that the Bengaluru office of the CPCB was also assessing the damage caused to Chennai’s marine environment and the report would be submitted before the tribunal.
Bharadwaj said that it was difficult to assess how much oil had spilled, once it got into the water. He also highlighted the lack of preparedness. “We have options to suggest. Accidents are accidents,” he said.
“The State has its own share of responsibility to protect its shoreline. Beyond that, the Coast Guard is always there to help the state. And they have been there from day one,” he added.
To a query how long it would take the coast to recover from the oil spill, he said that it was difficult to give an exact figure. He said one had to study what kind of chemicals were present.
Asked whether CPCB would suggest measures to clean up the coast, he assured that there was no dearth of technology or resources but the issue was the response time to tackle the crisis.
He said the crisis may be due to laxity or lack of discipline in signalling that the port would have given to inbound and outbound vessels.
He said that the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board had to initiate action against Kamarajar Port. “It is not that the port is at fault, but it is equally responsible for the pollution,” he added.