Ennore creek oil spill: TN govt announces special aid for affected families

Chennai: Days after completing the emergency oil spill recovery work in the ecologically sensitive Ennore Creek area, the Tamil Nadu government on Saturday announced financial assistance to the tune of Rs 8.68 crore to about 9,000 families who were severely affected due to the oil spill that originated from a refinery owned by a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU).

In a statement, Chief Minister M K Stalin said as many as 2,301 families living in nine fishing hamlets whose livelihoods were affected due to the oil spill will receive Rs 12,500 each besides Rs 10,000 each for 787 boats that suffered damages due to the spill.

Over 6,700 families in four wards in Ennore area, where the flood water in which the oil released from the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL) refinery got mixed and wreaked havoc, will receive Rs 7,500 as one-time assistance, Stalin said, adding that the financial aid for the affected will be in addition to the Rs 6,000 flood relief announced earlier.

“The special financial assistance will be directly credited into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries,” Stalin said. Ennore Creek is an ecologically sensitive zone which is home to about 100 species of fish.

The oil spill from CPCL’s refinery in Manali, which was let into the flood water on December 4-5 when the city was swamped under the influence of Cyclone Michaung, spread into an area of about 20 square kilometers, severely affecting people’s lives and the livelihood of several fishermen. 

The oil, which was released by CPCL into flood water reaching the Kosasthalaiyar River via the Buckingham canal, entered the homes of people in Ernavur affecting household items and vehicles parked in the area.

Hundreds of fish, prawns, and crabs were also found dead in the Kosasthalaiyar River due to the impact of oil mixing with flood water on December 4 and 5 when extremely heavy rains pounded Chennai. 

The residents also faced several health issues due to strong odour of the oil that entered their homes, while fishermen lost their livelihood as the fish catch smelled of oil.

Following an order by the Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal, the Tamil Nadu government took up the cleaning work in the Ennore Creek area and removed a total of 105.82 kl of oily water and 393.5 tonnes of sludge in about eight days.

Nearly 900 people, including trained personnel from sea cleaning agencies and local fishermen, worked for over eight days to complete the emergency cleaning work, which was necessitated to ensure that the oil sludge doesn’t enter the sea.

The cleaning work was also taken up after environmentalists said there was an urgent need to ensure that the oil in the area is removed immediately to ensure that ecology in the Creek area is not disturbed.

CPCL, which was blamed by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) for the oil spill, has deployed three ambulances with a team of specialised doctors to take care of health concerns in the impacted areas.

After the cleaning work, the government has now shifted its focus on cleaning oil ingress in Mangrove areas by engaging personnel with the help of smaller boats using oil boomers and soak pads.