As per report ennore, a city 25 km from tamil Nadu’s chennai, and its near-by villages have been dealing with a new problem post Cyclone Michaung. The flood water reportedly entered a near-by refinery, which led to oil spill now spread to about 20 square kilometers. While the spill happened from the refinery of chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd (CPCL) over a week ago, reports say that the damage to Chennai’s eco sensitive ennore creek is only getting worse.
According to a report, oil is floating all over river Kosasthalaiyar. Tar balls and thick layers of oil are seen in several pockets along the coastline. A trail of oil deposits can also be seen on the shores and the fishing boats. Reports accessed satellite images from the Copernicus Sentinel Program that showed the oil spill in large swathes floating through the ennore Creek into the Bay of Bengal. Thousands of fishermen have not been able to venture into fishing even after rains have stopped as fish catch smells of oil, the report stated. vehicles parked in the area have also been affected with oil stains visible on them even as streets still bearing the traces of oil, despite flood water receding. Hundreds of fish, prawns, and crabs have been 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 drenched chennai, the publication stated.
Reports further stated that residents of Ernavur, Adi Dravidar Colony, Thiruveethiamman Kovil, and fishing villages complain that they have been encountering several health issues since the oil spill last week, besides feeling suffocated due to the odour of the oil. According to the report, the residents have alleged that the culprit is the chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL) refinery in near-by manali which, according to them, released oil into the flood water.
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