Plastic pellets from sunken ship mar Kovalam beaches
Thiruvananthapuram: Plastic pellets, known as nurdles, from the containers of the Liberian cargo vessel MSC ELSA 3, which sank off Thottappally in Alappuzha on May 25, have started accumulating on the beaches of Kovalam, where the land juts out into the sea.
This has also triggered a kind of foam, and fishermen and stakeholders in the hospitality industry have raised concerns that the state govt has not taken measures to clear them and prevent them from coming to the beach.
Plastic pellets and white foam have filled the famed Ashoka Beach over the past two days.
As they are difficult to clear, the tonnes of pellets threaten to mar the experience of beachgoers at one of the famous tourism spots in the state.
Robert Panipilla of Friends of Marine Life said the "Mukham Kodimana," a piece of land that juts into the sea near Kovalam, would capture most of the plastic pellets as the water current and wind flow is from north to west. He said the pellets were getting washed back into the sea and getting submerged in the sands, which will create trouble in the coming years.
Kovalam, meanwhile, is now getting more visitors who want to enjoy the monsoon.
"This will create a pollution problem in the coming years. It's unfortunate that the govt is not taking steps to clear the pellets," Panipilla said, adding that they could affect tourists if not prevented.
There are environmental concerns as well, as these pellets are particularly hazardous to marine life. "The short-term environmental impacts include ingestion by marine animals as nurdles look like fish eggs and are easily consumed by fish, turtles and seabirds, leading to intestinal blockages and starvation.
Nurdles can accumulate in sand and estuaries, suffocating benthic organisms and reducing biodiversity.
The long-term impacts include toxic chemical absorption, and they absorb pollutants like PCBs, PAHs, and DDT from seawater, becoming toxic pellets. Over time, nurdles break into micro- and nano-plastics, entering food chains and human diets," marine biologist and Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (Kufos) vice-chancellor A Biju Kumar said.
The pellets were earlier reported to have been found in large numbers along Kochu Veli, Thumba and Vettukad. The vessel, carrying 640 containers, sank around 14.6 nautical miles off Thottappally, and 13 of these containers contained hazardous materials like calcium carbide and hydrazine-based plastics.
The state govt earlier declared the shipwreck a state-specific disaster and initiated a comprehensive clean-up operation. An expert panel of specialists in marine science and environmental response was also convened to guide long-term efforts.
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