Chennai oil spill: Slick returns to north of city where it hit coast first

The huge oil spill on January 28 from MT Dawn Kancheepuram was due to its collision with British flagged ship BW Maple in Ennore on Kamarajar Port’s channel.

Just when one got to believe that worst was over, tonnes of thick tar-like oil slick has started to deposit on the shores of Ernavoor Kuppam. | EPS 

The official machinery has battling to suck out the pollutant for the past one month. | EPS

All these days, the Heavy Furnace Oil or the bunker oil that was drifting south, gave the impression that it got disintegrated into tar balls and beached all along the east coast till Puducherry. | EPS

A reality check by The New Indian Express on Wednesday found the oil slick on the shores of Ernavoor Kuppam, Chinna Kuppam, Periya Kuppam and Thalankuppam, which is about 8 km north of Bharatiyar Nagar. | EPS

Now, fishermen of these kuppams are in a fix and the fishing activity there has almost come to standstill. | EPS

A bigger danger is lurking since the oil slick could pollute the eco-sensitive Pulicat lagoon. | EPS

Ernavoor Kuppam houses about 200 fishermen and their livelihood is crippled by the new development. | EPS