NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change has released draft rules aimed at managing ‘tar balls’ to protect the coastline and marine environment from oil spills.
The proposal outlines responsibilities for states, district administrations, and various ministries and agencies to prevent oil spills and ensure their timely removal.
Tar balls are small, dark, sticky blobs of weathered oil that form in marine environments due to oil spills or natural seeps. They often accumulate on beaches and pose a danger to seabirds, fish, and marine animals, such as sea turtles, which may mistakenly ingest them, thinking they are food. India’s western coast, particularly the area from Gujarat to Goa, is significantly affected by tar balls, especially during the seasonal period from April to September.
The draft rules, titled the Tar Balls Management Rules, 2026, aim to outline the responsibilities of the ministries involved in handling oil facilities. This includes the Defence Ministry, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MPSW), and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MPNG), in addition to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), state governments, and district administrations.
The new rules assign responsibilities to state governments and district administrations for the environmentally sound management of tar balls. They propose the formation of State Level Crisis Management Groups under the National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (NOSDCP) established by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG).
The state governments should declare pollution from tar balls in coastal areas a state disaster and take action under the Disaster Management Act. It is responsible for the treatment, storage, and disposal of tar balls.
The district administration will be responsible for the collection, handling, processing, and transportation of tar balls deposited along the district shoreline and must include tar ball management in the District Disaster Management Plan. The draft rules also assign responsibilities to the Defence Ministry and CPCB.
The ICG is tasked with implementing the NOSDCP to effectively manage oil spills and the formation of tar balls. The ICG will conduct regular aerial and surface surveillance for oil spills in Indian Exclusive Economic Zones and inform relevant stakeholders for necessary preparedness and response measures. Advanced technologies such as remotely operated vehicles and automated underwater vehicles may be utilised for detecting and managing underwater oil plumes during spill events.