Mumbai:
Another oil spill is threatening the fragile ecology of the Mumbai coastline. MV Rak, the vessel that sank off the coast of Mumbai last Thursday, is leaking oil.
The oil from the ship which had spread up to seven nautical miles from the vessel yesterday has now spread to 12 nautical miles but the patches are thinning, says the Coast Guard. Talking to newspersons in Mumbai Inspector General SPS Basra also said that the rate of oil spill has reduced to approximately one tonne per hour.
The Coast Guard has deployed two ships, including its anti-pollution vessel INS Samudra Prahari and Coast Guard vessel Sankalp, which are neutralising the oil spill by spraying chemicals that binds the oil and prevents it from spreading. The Coast Guard also conducted air sorties this morning.
The State Environment Department reported that oil patches have been seen at Gurai, Alibaug and areas near the Juhu Beach. The oil streak is reported to have stretch up to 5-6 kilometers along the Alibaug shoreline.
"It is quite close to the shoreline and there is not much distance separating the oil from the beaches and mangroves. Since this is the breeding season, this is the most vulnerable time of the year," said Debi Goenka, an environmentalist.
Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan, however, says that the spillage is negligible and that there is no threat to Mumbai coast. (
Watch) Oil leak has been limited to the area near the sunken vessel and there is no need to worry, the authorities said. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) says it has initiated the measures to clean up the area.
Earlier there were fears about whether the grounded ship MT Pavit was leaking oil but authorities have clarified that there is no oil spillage from Pavit. The Pavit was abandoned near Oman about a month ago after serious technical issues with its engines. It then drifted into the Arabian Sea and entered India's exclusive economic zone which extends 200 nautical miles off the Mumbai coast.
Last August, after MSC Chitra and MV Khalija collided off the Mumbai coast, the oil spill spread not just to the coast of Mumbai, but as far as Raigad and Elephanta, damaging the mangrove belt in and around Mumbai city, contaminating shores, and even threatening fishing activity.
"When the oil sinks, it enters into the food chain. The algae imbibe the oil and that may affect the entire marine ecology," said Swapna Prabhu, from Bombay Natural History Society.
This time too, fishermen have been advised to stay away from the area where the ship has sunk.
MV Rak sank off the coast of Mumbai last Thursday, with 60,000 metric tonnes of coal, 290 tonnes of fuel oil and 50 tonnes of diesel on board. Salvage operations will be difficult to undertake due to the rough weather and tidal conditions because of the monsoons. This means, Mumbai will have to keep its fingers crossed, hoping the oil lead is kept at bay and the vessel stays intact.