Ennore Oil Spill: Mop-Up Completed in Creek Area, Says Tamil Nadu Govt

As the oil recovery work from the Bay of Bengal was over, the government said, the focus would now shift towards cleaning the oil in mangrove areas. 

An official release stated, "The emergency oil recovery work in the aftermath of oil spillage in the Ennore Creek area got over today."

The Tamil Nadu government has declared the successful completion of oil spill removal in the Ennore Creek area, a task necessitated by the impact of Cyclone Michaung. According to PTI, the government reported that approximately 900 individuals, including trained sea cleaning agencies and local fishermen, collaborated to accomplish the challenging job. An official release stated, "The emergency oil recovery work in the aftermath of oil spillage in the Ennore Creek area got over today."

As the oil recovery work from the Bay of Bengal was over, the government said, the focus would now shift towards cleaning the oil in mangrove areas. 

Four specialized agencies, namely Viraj Sea Cleaning Enterprises, Sea Care Sea Cleaning Services, Tens Hydralift Pet Ltd, and Neowin India Ltd, participated in the cleaning operation. They were equipped with a fleet comprising 128 boats, seven JCB machines, two tractors, eight gully suckers, and three hydro cranes.

Supriya Sahu, the Additional Chief Secretary of the Department of Environment and Climate Change and Forests, who has been leading the ground teams, conducted an assessment of the affected areas alongside a group of officers. The team included representatives from Chennai Petroleum Oil Corporation Ltd, cleaning agencies, and members of the impacted fishermen communities.

During the overview, the team navigated through the affected regions via a boat ride along the Buckingham Canal, Kosathalaiyar River, and Ennore Creek, closely monitoring the concluding stages of the operation.

While noting that oil recovery and mitigation efforts had largely concluded in most areas, the team identified the presence of oil deposits in mangroves. Addressing this issue was recognized as a "specialized task" requiring careful attention and an extended timeframe, as highlighted in the official release.

Cyclone Michaung wreaked havoc in Chennai and Tiruvallur regions.