Mumbai oil spill stops but environmental threat remains

Mumbai: The oil slick off Mumbai coast is a serious worry and the government is trying its best to contain the damage, that's what Maharashtra Chief Minister, Ashok Chavan told NDTV, as an environmental disaster threatens the Maharashtra coast. (In Pictures: Mumbai oil slick)

After Saturday's ship collision, the oil slick off the Mumbai Harbour has been spreading fast and thick, the only good news is that the oil leak has been plugged, Coast Guard sources told NDTV. (Read: Oil leak off Mumbai coast has stopped: Coast Guard sources)

Maharashtra Chief Secretary JP Dange met the Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrashekhar, Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar and National Disaster Management Authority Vice Chairman NC Vij on the Mumbai oil spill.

Sources told NDTV that experts have told the Maharashtra government that it may take 45 days for the cleaning up process but the state government is looking at a 10 day deadline.

On Tuesday, there will be another meeting in the shipping ministry and the environment ministry.

Several reasons are being given for why the ships collided, Coast Guard sources say:

• The two ships were communicating on different radio frequencies
• Ships are supposed to have a pilot to guide them during crossings. In this case neither did
• Questions as to whether the port trust radar warned the ships
  

There are fears that MSC Chitra could get stuck indefinitely mid-sea much like the River Princess which ran aground off the Goa coast in 2000, creating a bigger environmental nightmare.

"There is a vessel traffic monitoring system which tracks the ships. There seems to have been a miscommunication between the control and captain of ships because of a problem of frequency," said Suresh Shetty, Maharashtra Environment Minister.

Maharashtra Minister for Shipping and Transport V K Patil said, "The two captains have been detained. There are agencies working on the operation. After the chlorine incident I made it a point to offer a recommendation. Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust  (JNPT) and Mumbai Port Trust (MBPT) have to pull up their socks. This is a wakeup call for them. We are taking up this issue. We are holding discussions with the Shipping ministry."

The oil slick, environmental authorities say will take a month to clear. The clean up costs have to be borne by the shipping companies. But the fate of MSC Chitra not so certain because India is short on specialized ships and equipment to deal with such disasters.

Who's affected

Drums filled with pesticide detached from the MSC Chitra have been floating dangerously in the sea, also becoming a navigation hazard.

When the MSC Chitra collided with the Khalijia on Saturday, it had a cargo of 1,219 containers holding 2662 tonnes of fuel, 283 tonnes of diesel and 88040 litres of lubricant oil. Thirty-one containers had pesticide in them. The Chitra tilted sharply under the impact of the collision, resulting in the oil spill and now, containers of pesticide bobbing off on the sea.

The slick has reached the beaches of Alibaug, Marva and the Elephanta caves in Mumbai and is also threatening the mangrove belt along the coastline. Efforts are on to ensure it does not.

The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) has been alerted as the slick has also reached the Sewree area where it is located. Floating containers from one of the ships are posing a navigational hazard some have drifted near the Gateway of India.

Now, the Coast Guard has asked BARC and other institutions along the coast not to use Arabian Sea water as it might contain oil, corrosive and toxic substances following the oil slick caused by collision of two vessels off Mumbai coast.

"Coast Guard has issued a general circular to Bombay Port Trust and a copy of it has been received by BARC," Director of BARC R K Sinha told PTI.

Water samples are being tested in the sea from the Mumbai coast to Raigad and six coast guard ships have been deployed to neutralise fuel and pollution.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan has said that the oil spill is a serious concern. "The oil slick off the Mumbai coast is a serious worry and the government is trying its best to contain the damage," Chavan told NDTV. (Watch)

The government has sounded an alert for fisherman and others along the coast asking them not to venture out at sea and has asked people to avoid eating fish.

PM concerned

Concerned over the oil spill, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday called for a report from the Shipping Ministry on the incident. "The Prime Minister has called for a preliminary report from the Shipping Ministry on the oil spill," PMO sources said. (Read: Prime Minister calls for report on Mumbai oil spill)

The issue was also raised in the Rajya Sabha where Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said legal action has been initiated against owners of the two vessels.

"Maharashtra State Pollution Control Board has already initiated legal action against the owners of the ships," Ramesh said.

The worry also is that there can be a bigger disaster waiting to happen if the MSC Chitra cannot be refloated. A ship that size can change the fish habitat, alter the topography of land nearby and poison the sea in the area for decades once it floods.

The MSC Chitra and Khalijia had collided on Saturday at the mouth of the Mumbai Harbour. The Khalijia had been at the harbour for over a fortnight for repair work when the collision took place.

A case has been registered against the captains and crews of both ships. The Director General of Shipping has also ordered an inquiry. (With PTI inputs)