Valsad: Oil spills reported in Nargol and Umargam beaches

Indian Express

09-07-2025

Oil spills, in the form of tar balls, were reported along the beaches of Nargol and Umargam in Valsad district — the reason behind which is yet to be ascertained — following which the officials of Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) reached the areas and collected samples for tests.
According to officials, the oil spill, after coming in contact with coastal sands, turns into tar balls.
The matter came to light on Sunday morning when fishermen from Nargol and Umargam went to the beaches and found a black layer of tar balls spread all over the area.
In Nargol, the fishermen reported the incident to village sarpanch Sweety Bhandari, who reached the beach with the gram panchayat members and surveyed the entire 7-kilometre stretch of the beach.
The GPCB authorities have set up multiple teams and deployed them to various beaches in Valsad, said sources. On Monday, a team from the GPCB, Valsad division, visited Nargol beach and collected samples from the beach.
Meanwhile, the Nargol Gram Panchayat started the cleaning work on the beach as it witnesses a large footfall of tourists.
Repeated phone attempts to contact Valsad division GPCB regional officer A O Trivedi for his remarks over the development went unanswered.
Nargol resident and environment activist Yatin Bhandari told this paper, 'Oil spills were reported along the beaches of Nargol and Umargam. The oil spill may have taken place deep into the sea due to the neighbouring ONGC Bombay High oil field. During the monsoon season, with high-speed winds and high tides in the sea, oil spill incidents take place at Nargol and Umargam beaches. We had requested the GPCB officials to clean the spill as a large number of tourists visit the beach. Since the officials did not take any action, the village sarpanch and a few volunteers started the cleaning work.'
Sarpanch Sweety Bhandari told The Indian Express, 'We have started the procedure to get Blue Flag certification for Nargol beach. Currently, Dwarka's Shivrajpur beach is the only one in the state that holds a Blue Flag.'
The Blue Flag certification is awarded to beaches for meeting high standards of water quality, environmental management and safety among other criterias.
Sweety Bhandari added, 'Every year, over 6,000 people from Gujarat and Maharashtra come to Nargol beach for a pre-wedding shoot. We charge Rs 500 as a fee, which is used to clean and maintain the beach. We also keep a record of the people attending the pre-wedding shoots at the Gram Panchayat office. The beach is a popular destination among foreign tourists also.'
'We complained about the presence of tar balls on the beach to the concerned authorities, but no action was taken. We are now cleaning the beach on our own,' the sarpanch added.