The Tamil Nadu government has fixed a total of ₹8.68 crore as relief fund for families and boats that were affected by the oil spill from industries, in Ennore during Cyclone Michaung. Of this, ₹7.53 crore will be paid by the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL).
During the hearing of a suo motu case on the oil spill on Thursday, the Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) was informed that the livelihood of 2,301 fisher families has been affected and as many as 787 boats belonging to Kattukuppam, Sivanpadaikuppam, Ennorekuppam, Mugadwarakuppam, Thalankuppam, Nettukuppam, VOC Nagar, Ulaganathapuram, and Sathyavanimuthu Nagar were damaged.
The Fisheries Department further said that a relief amount of ₹78.7 lakh for the boats (₹10,000 each) and ₹287.6 lakh for the affected families (₹12,500 each) was also fixed. According to the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), 6,700 houses were affected by the oil spill and ₹7,500 will be given for each. For this, the GCC told the tribunal, ₹502.5 lakh relief is needed. Of the total ₹8.68 crore relief fund, the CPCL will pay ₹7.53 crore to the Tamil Nadu Disaster Management Authority and the remaining ₹1.15 crore will be borne by the Authority.
Major part of remediation wrapped up
On Wednesday, the CPCL and the State government said the emergency recovery work has been completed. While the oil seems to have been removed from most parts of the Kosasthalaiyar, traces of the slick continued to flow near Manali when The Hindu visited the area on Thursday. “CPCL has been asked to deploy 60 boats, each with four fishermen as they know the river better, to clean the remaining oil coming out from pockets every now and then, till December 31,” said Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary to Environment, Climate Change and Forests department. Another 20 boats will carry out mangrove restoration works for a month, she added.
A team of experts from the State Wetland Authority and M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) visited Ennore Creek on Thursday for a preliminary assessment of mangroves. “The oil spill has really affected the mangroves. But the damage is not uniform. Certain places are heavily affected while others are moderate,” said G.N. Hariharan, Executive Director, MSSRF. The Avicennia marina dominates the mangrove ecosystem in Ennore. The smaller plants are dead, and the well-established ones are affected up to 1.5 metres, he said.