Latest news with #INCOIS
Time of India
2 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Plastic nurdle spill threatens Gulf of Mannar
Chennai: Plastic nurdles from the Liberia-flagged container ship that sank off the Kerala coast could spread to the ecologically sensitive Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve in less than two days. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now A simulation using the search and rescue aid tool (SARAT) run by INCOIS, Hyderabad, shows that the nurdles are likely to drift further along the coast near Sattankulam by Saturday evening, before moving southward and offshore on Sunday. The tiny plastic pellets, used in plastic manufacturing, had already started washing ashore in Kanyakumari district on Wednesday. "In 36 to 48 hours, the nurdles are likely to move offshore because the currents in that area are directed away from the coast. However, due to wind patterns, a portion of the spill could drift into the Gulf of Mannar. But the majority is expected to reach Sri Lanka's west coast," said Balakrishnan Nair T M, Director, INCOIS. The container vessel MSC Elsa-3 sank on May 25, about 38 nautical miles (about 70 km) off the Kerala coast, between the ports of Vizhinjam and Kochi. The ship was carrying 640 containers, including 13 with hazardous materials such as calcium carbide, along with 84.44 tonnes of diesel and 367.1 tonnes of furnace oil. On Friday, chief minister M K Stalin chaired a meeting with officials on the safety measures to be taken to remove nurdles and other hazardous waste from the Elsa-3 shipwreck. According to a release from the state govt, Stalin inquired of environment and forest department secretary Supriya Sahu whether there was any oil spill from the ship accident and whether the marine organisms were affected. Sahu informed him that the pollution control board officials were inspecting if there was any oil spill and that they had contacted the ship authorities to determine whether there were any hazardous substances onboard the ship. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Veterinary and fisheries department secretary N Subbian told Stalin that he directed the fisheries officials to check whether the marine organisms were affected by the shipwreck and whether nurdles have been ingested by marine organisms. The fishermen were also advised to avoid fishing in the affected areas, Subbian told Stalin. Stalin directed the officials to monitor the movement of nurdles according to climatic conditions and to check the possible coastal areas where nurdles might get washed away. The district collectors of Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, and Ramanathapuram were already briefed by the state disaster response authority about the steps to be taken to remove nurdles.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Climate
- The Hindu
Heavy rains batter Kerala overnight, cause widespread havoc and power outages
Heavy rains accompanied by strong winds battered Kerala overnight and into early Friday (May 30, 2025), inundating residential areas, damaging homes and forcing at least 1,200 citizens to seek refuge in government-run relief camps. The heavy weather uprooted trees and downed power lines. The Fire and Rescue Services department and the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) scrambled to clear fallen trees and restore power to an estimated 60 lakh households across the State. Nevertheless, large swathes of the State, including much of Thiruvananthapuram district, remained without power. Power Minister K. Krishnankutty told reporters that public resistance to pre-monsoon pruning off overhanging branches and precariously leaning trees jeopardised the safety of overhead powerlines and transformers. He said the Chief Secretary had instructed the District Collectors to invoke the Disaster Management Act 2005 provisions to overcome such resistance. He said the heavy rains and falling tree branches damaged 2,500 high-tension and 10,000 low-tension power lines across the State and that scores of transformers malfunctioned. The KSEB has sustained a loss of ₹121 crore by a conservative preliminary estimate. He said KSEB has deployed more engineers and line workers to restore power distribution. He said using underground cables to transmit electricity was the long-term solution to ensure uninterrupted power during inclement weather. However, he said the KSEB's goal remained elusive, given the high costs involved and the public utility's inability to raise power charges. Mr Krishnankutty noted the water level in 16 major and 15 small hydroelectric power dams remained within the safety threshold. Red alert Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has stated that the severe weather was set to continue with the low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal intensifying incrementally. It has issued a red alert for Idukki, Kannur and Kasargod districts. The government has declared a holiday for educational institutions, including private tuition centres. in Kottayam, Idukki, Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Kannur and Kasargod. High waves The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information (INCOIS) has forecast high waves reaching up to 3.7 m in height along Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Thrissur districts. It has issued a red alert in the coastal localities and cautioned fishers from putting their boats out to sea. The INCOIS has issued an orange alert, warning of tidal surges and high waves along the coasts of Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kasargod, and Kannur. The respective district administrations have suspended beach activities. Swollen rivers The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) has flagged a rise in water levels in Manimala, Achankovil and Meenachil rivers in Pathanamthitta and Kottayam districts, respectively. It has warned people living on the banks of Korapuzha (Kozhikode) and Kabani (Wayanad) to exercise extreme caution. Delayed trains The heavy rains have delayed several trains, including the Jan Shatabdi Express. Several more were running late, chiefly due to waterlogging of tracks and trees falling on the railway lines. The government has banned nighttime travel in the Idukki district. In several residential localities across Kerala, stormwater pooled under parked cars and motorcycles, damaging the vehicles. So far, the government has evacuated 1,200 people to relief camps. At least 159 houses were partially damaged, according to KSDMA estimates. Reports of rain-related deaths were also trickling in from different parts of the State. A 65-year-old man, K J James, drowned in a waterlogged locality at Punnapra in the Alappuzha district.
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- General
- New Indian Express
Plastic nurdles spill: High-level meeting held, short-term survey initiated in Tamil Nadu
A SOP has been issued by the Indian Coast Guard to Kerala and Tamil Nadu on how to carry out the clean up. "We are following the SOP and ensuring adequate protection for personnel engaged in clean up. As such the plastic nurdles are not hazardous to humans, but pose a significant threat to the environment," a senior official said and added that a long-term impact assessment study will be done by an accredited agency. Meanwhile, officials claim that the possibility of plastic nurdles spill entering the Gulf of Mannar is thin as the INCOIS ocean wave data shows the waves are carrying the spill in a straight line towards the west coast of Sri Lanka. "Even if it enters the Gulf of Mannar, the quality may not be significant enough to cause considerable damage." Meanwhile, a team from Gujarat is expected to arrive in Kanniyakumari to salvage the containers. Sarath Cheloor, National Coordinator of Friends of the Earth demanded full disclosure and accountability, contending that full details on the nature and quantum of cargo in the ship is not available. "According to available information, the sunken commercial ship was carrying 640 containers, including 13 containers with hazardous cargo and 12 with calcium carbide. Calcium Carbide is highly reactive with seawater, with disastrous impacts to the ecology. The ship was also carrying 84.44 metric tonnes of diesel and 367.1 metric tonnes of furnace oil, which may have leaked into the sea, creating an oil slick." According to the 1992 International Civil Liability Convention, strict liability must be imposed on the ship owner for any pollution and resultant impact, except in cases of war, civil unrest, or natural disasters.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
Marine emergency response ship from Puducherry set to reach Kochi shipwreck site soon
Kerala Revenue Minister K. Rajan has said a marine emergency response ship from Puducherry has set course for the capsized Liberian-flagged container ship, MSC Elsa 3, which sank 38 km southwest off the Kochi coast on May 24. Mr. Rajan told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday (May 29, 2025) that the shipwreck experts on the search and recovery vessel would soon reach the location and use the latest equipment to scan the submerged vessel. Subsequently, they would devise a plan to drain the very low sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO) stored in the ship's double hull to prevent further spillage. The experts would also attempt to salvage the containers using powered hoists, including at least 13 hazardous chemical canisters stowed away in the vessel's cargo hold. (The Customs had reported to the government that the ship's cargo manifest stated that the ship transported calcium carbide, a chemical which causes an exothermic reaction, producing highly flammable calcium hydroxide and acetylene gas when it reacts with water). Floating booms Mr. Rajan said the marine disaster management team had cordoned off the seas near the shipwreck site with floating booms to prevent oil slicks from spreading. The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information (INCOIS) has mapped areas where weathered pieces of oil from a ship, known as 'tar balls or petroleum blobs', could wash up along Kerala's coastline. The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) would place sandbags in the coastal localities to protect the shore. The government would also deploy floating booms to protect vulnerable estuaries and bays from VLSFO pollution. Mr. Rajan stated that it was unlikely more containers would run aground. Thus far, 54 containers have washed ashore on the beaches of Kollam (43), Thiruvananthapuram (9), and Alappuzha (2). Nevertheless, flotsam from damaged containers battered by the high seas off Kerala's coast could wash up on the southern beaches of Kerala. Mr. Rajan said minute plastic and polythene granules from the containers posed a clear and present marine environmental threat. The government has enlisted hundreds of volunteers and provided them with trash bags and sifters to remove the plastic debris, which the Minister termed an uphill task and a long-term environmental threat.
Indian Express
4 days ago
- General
- Indian Express
After cargo ship mishap, small patches of oil slick reported along Alappuzha coast
Four days after Liberian-flagged cargo ship MSC ELSA 3 capsized off Kerala coast, small patches of oil slick were Wednesday traced at Alappuzha coast. Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) director Dr T M Balakrishnan Nair Wednesday confirmed that there were traces of oil along the coast. The Liberia-flagged MSC ELSA 3, a 28-year-old vessel, was sailing from Vizhinjam port in Thiruvananthapuram to Kochi when it capsized around 25 km southwest of Alappuzha. The ship went down with more than 600 containers, some of which washed ashore Monday. 'Our six-member team has found small patches of oil slick along the coast. The oil that reached the Alappuzha coast in small quantities is bunker oil used in ships,' he said Wednesday. 'As the oil spill from the ship has been contained to a certain extent, we do not expect a massive oil slick. However, it would continue to appear in southern Kerala coast in the coming days also. Everything depends upon how much oil has leaked out from the ship.' Dr Balakrishnan said the oil slick could affect marine life, especially since monsoon is breeding time for many fish species. 'The impact would depend upon the quantity of the oil being oozing out from the ship. The direction of the wind and the current also decide on the impact and spread of oil slick,' he said. On Sunday, INCOIS, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, had predicted the spilled oil pollutant could reach the coastal stretch of Alappuzha, Ambalapuzha, Arattupuzha and Karunagappally within 36-48 hrs of release from the capsized ship. The Indian Coast Guard had said Tuesday that efforts were underway to respond to it. This includes deploying vessels with oil spill dispersant to contain the spread of oil and mobilising a dedicated pollution control vessel, Samudra Prahari, from Mumbai.
