Ennore oil spill is endangering environment and livelihoods in Chennai

Equipped with a pair of hand gloves and a plastic bucket each, 15 men have been tirelessly working in shifts since 7am to remove the thick black patches of oil washing over the shore.

With an oil spill caused by the collision of two ships near the Ennore port, north of Chennai, the city seems to be bracing up for yet another environmental crisis.

"We have cleared the waters of 5,000 litres of oil yesterday. Our volunteers (mostly fishermen) have cleared more than 7,000 litres today and we will continue to work till it's dark," said Pugaharasan, who works with Tree foundation, a local NGO.  

While the Coast Guard has pressed into service two submersible pumps to contain the spill, it's the locals who are assisting in the onerous task.

"We can't think about health hazards; the longer this stays the more dangerous it is for our livelihoods and also for the sea we consider god. Marine lives will be affected if the oil isn't removed quickly," said Kavivanan, another volunteer from Tree foundation.

"The oil's smell is intolerable. Kids and the elderly in this fishing hamlet have been complaining of chest pain. Not only this, our livelihood is badly affected. We can't spread our nets for fishing and also, who will buy our catch?" said Desaraj, a fisherman from nearby Bharatiyar Nagar. 

The essential concern is the utter lack of accountability on the part of government officials, as environmentalist Nityanand Jayaraman points out:

"What we need to be worried about is the lack of opacity, lack of transparency and the refusal of the authorities and the agencies involved in this to act responsibly because these are the people who down play a nuclear disaster, and a gas leak disaster like Union Carbide's."

Petroleum covers the waters with a film and this obstructs sunlight from penetrating - preventing underwater photosynthesis and critically damaging the aquatic ecosystem.

As a consequence, several dead fish and Olive Ridley turtles have been washing over the shore.

After-effects of the spill were seen only a day later as thick and dark oil patches swept the shore along the Ernavur coast.

Forced to bear the brunt of the spill, the fisherfolk are demanding relief for its lasting impact on their livelihood.

It's hard to predict the enormity of its impact on the environment as well as human life - as the city wonders how long the spill will last.