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Time of India
30-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Slow response risks long-term pollution
Thiruvananthapuram : The millions of plastic pellets that began to wash ashore along the state's southern coast two days ago from the sunken cargo ship MSC Elsa 3 can cause long-term pollution as authorities failed to act quickly to contain the spill. The authorities have so far focussed on containing the oil leak and recovering containers, most of them empty, that drifted ashore. Nine empty containers were recovered from the sea along the Thiruvananthapuram coast. Strong waves and monsoon winds broke open the sacks, scattering the pellets in the sea and along the coast at Vizhinjam, Thumba, Shangumugham and other areas. Sources said the authorities should have assessed the contents in the containers of the sunken ship and should have tried to contain the spread to the shore. The pellets, made of PET plastic, are not toxic but non-biodegradable. On Wednesday, the corporation's sweepers attempted to clear the pellets from Shangumugham's coastal road but made no effort to address the accumulation on the beach. By Thursday, volunteers from Harita Karma Sena resorted to scooping up pellets mixed with sand, filling buckets and sacks. Meanwhile, authorities have shown no clear strategy for removing the pellets still floating at sea. Fishermen say the presence of sea walls, which trap the pellets, makes comprehensive removal nearly impossible. A Biju Kumar, head of the department of Aquatic Biology, Kerala University, said the plastic pellets may cause long-term pollution. "Only a small portion seems to have come to the shore; all kinds of fish can consume them. The solution is to monitor the fish and look for chemical presence in the long term." Steps are being taken to clear them, but it is a challenge, he added. Robert Panipilla of Friends of Marine Life (FML) said the pellets look like eggs of squid and fishes are likely to eat them. "Pellets are floating in the water now. The longer they remain in the water, biomass will form on them, and they can sink due to their weight. Fish can think it is food." In other countries, floating barriers or booms would be deployed to contain such materials, he said. As no major oil spill has occurred and no slick has been found near shore, the state govt has declared that fish remains safe to eat. Heavy rain and strong waves have affected pollution containment measures, even as the govt is planning to survey the after-effects of the shipwreck.
Hindustan Times
29-05-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Kerala government to tackle nurdles washed ashore
The Kerala government on Wednesday announced the deployment of volunteers and drone surveys to get rid of plastic pellets, also known as nurdles, which were found in large quantities across the coastal areas of Thiruvananthapuram after a Liberia-flagged cargo vessel sank off the coast of Kerala earlier this week. The nurdles were likely being transported among other cargo items on the vessel and are suspected to have broken out of the containers when they fell into the sea, officials aware of the matter said. Nurdles are foundational material in the manufacture of a wide range of plastic products and white in colour. According to A Biju Kumar, a senior professor in the department of aquatic biology and fisheries at the University of Kerala, the nurdles are manufactured in small sizes as they can be melted and moulded into manufacturing a range of plastic products. Activists and environmental experts flagged its impact on marine life and habitats. 'Nurdles look like fish eggs and are easily consumed by fish, turtles, and seabirds, leading to intestinal blockages and starvation. It can result in habitat contamination by accumulating in sand and estuaries. Among long-term impacts, nurdles absorb pollutants from seawater becoming toxic pellets. Over time, nurdles break into micro and nano plastics, entering food chains and human diets,' Kumar wrote in a post on Facebook. The CM said in a statement that civil defence volunteers would be deputed to clear away the plastic pellets from the coast. 'Action is being taken in view of the environmental damage that can be caused by the plastic nurdles. Every 100 metres, there would be volunteers to clear the waste away. Drone surveys would also be done to ensure that the coast is rid of the waste. Officials from the police, fire and rescue service and pollution control board have been appointed to oversee the cleaning work. The supervisors must ensure that the volunteers complete the task safely without any hazards,' he said. Lija Bose, the vice-president of the Anchuthengu panchayat, told HT that the pellets in massive quantities have lined up the nearly 5.5 kilometres of the coastline in her panchayat. 'It's granular in size and therefore extremely hard to remove from the coast. As per the directions of the government, we have deputed a few volunteers who will start the work on Thursday. We have been asked to transfer the pellets along with the sand into containers so that it can be filtered later. It is a massive challenge,' she said. The CM also convened a meeting of the top environmental experts, district collectors and bureaucrats to discuss the possible environmental impact of the scattering of the hazardous cargo materials and the oil spill caused by the capsizing of the Liberia-flagged cargo vessel. The decisions taken at the meeting are not known yet.
