Chennai Ennore oil spill anniversary: One year on, lessons not learnt, Tamil Nadu still vulnerable

Officials struggled to contain the oil spill in 2017 due to the absence of a clear contingency plan, the situation is not very different now.

Officials struggled to contain the oil spill in 2017 due to the absence of a clear contingency plan. (File photo | EPS)

On this same date last year, January 28, LPG tanker BW Maple rammed into petroleum tanker MT Dawn Kanchipuram two nautical miles off the Kamarajar Port at Ennore, resulting in massive oil spill that polluted close to 35 kms of coastline.

It was the first such incident in Chennai and authorities were completely caught off-guard as there was no State Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (SOS-DCP).

All coastal States are mandated to prepare a contingency plan under the National Disaster Management Act, 2005 and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and have an obligation to protect marine environments. It has to be consistent with the National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan, which is the national policy for response to an oil spill of any size.

Unfortunately, Tamil Nadu, although it is highly prone to oil spills, doesn’t have an approved SOS-DCP. BR Subramanian, former advisor for Ministry of Earth Sciences and senior scientific consultant for National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, told Express that an Oil Spill Plan was prepared in September, 2016 and in fact, he was the chairman of the committee which drafted the plan. But it is still awaiting approval of Tamil Nadu government.

“When the plan was awaiting approval, the Chennai oil spill occurred and so we reviewed it and submitted a revised SOS-DCP to the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA). Putting in place such a plan is critical because it provides all details about preparedness required to meet oil spill eventualities and equips the State to combat spills without loss of time.

The plan that we prepared provides a systematic approach, which includes inter-alia, establishment of dedicated authority to administer oil spill emergency, creation of a combat team and building their capacity, safety measures to be adopted during clean-up and combating oil spills using oil booms, skimmers and shoreline clean-up equipment,” he said. When contacted, a senior official of SDMA told Express that the government would very soon approve the SOS-DCP and is in the process of procuring mechanised equipment.

During the Chennai oil spill clean-up operations, the basic problem was lack of co-ordination between various departments. Some of the basic equipment was lacking. “We have recommended the procurement of containment and recovery equipment, including a variety of booms, barriers, and skimmers, as well as natural and synthetic sorbent materials. The coastal police or SDMA can have them and can be deployed during such emergencies,” he said.

Meanwhile, IIT Madras has also prepared an independent oil spill contingency plan and submitted it to Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB). S Mohan, associate professor in Environment and Waster Resources, Department of Civil Engineering, said: “TNPCB officials have called for a detailed presentation.”

Goa was one of the first few coastal States to prepare an oil spill contingency plan and the document clearly defines the role of individual departments and response policy. The planning is based on the internationally recognised tier approach that classifies oil spills into three categories. Tier-1 is connected with preparedness and response to a small spill within the capabilities of an individual facility or harbour authority.

700 tons is often cited as the upper limit of Tier-1 but the circumstances of the spill will determine the actual response. Tier-2 is concerned with preparedness and response to a spill of upto 10,000 tons that requires co-ordination of more than one source of equipment and personnel. Thus, assistance can come from a number of entities within the port area or from other sources.

Tier-3 is concerned with a major spill requiring the mobilization of all departments concerned and depending upon the circumstances, may involve mobilisation at regional and international levels. It deals with spills of more than 10,000 tons.

Why is Tamil Nadu vulnerable to oil spills?

One of the major oil tanker routes of the world is located in the western Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of India and about 3,000 oil tankers per year carrying crude oil pass close to the west coast to reach Far East via south of Kanyakumari and Malacca Strait
The coastal areas of Tamil Nadu are blessed with rich marine fishery resources and biological wealth. Specialised ecosystems such as mangroves can be seen around major estuaries while coral reefs and seagrass beds are found in the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay area. It has vast tourist beaches
Archaeological sites like Mamallapuram and Poompuhar are also located along the coast
TN has three major ports — Chennai Port, Kamarajar (KPL) and V O Chidhambaranar located in Chennai, Ennore and Thoothukudi, respectively. These ports handle petroleum products ranging from 0.68 MT (Kamarajar) to 1.19 MT (Chennai) transported by ships and tankers
Considering the potential impacts of oil spills to the coastal ecology and resources due to ship/tanker accidents, the risk of oil spill on the coast of Tamil Nadu is high

Objective

The State Oil Spill-Disaster Contingency Plan, as a matter of government policy, integrates three tiers of contingency planning, thereby providing the necessary organisational structure to ensure that the State government can be kept fully informed of any spill occurrence, monitor the spill response and intervene when required so as to cope with all spills which threaten the State’s environment. The plan ensures there is no time lost in co-ordination.