Oil Spill In Ennore-Manali Floodwaters After Cyclone Michaung Now Spread Over 20 Sq Km In The Sea, TN Govt Forms Crisis Management Group

According to a survey by the Indian Coast Guard, the oil spill reported in the floodwaters in the Ennore-Manali region, near Chennai, in the days after cyclone Michaung has now reached the sea and is spread over an area of 20 sq km from the mouth of the Kosathalaiyar River to Kasimedu harbour.

The state government has constituted a 20-member State of Oil Spill-Crisis Management Group to take care of the issue. The group headed by the Chief Secretary consists of Secretaries of various departments and also officials of Indian Oil and Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL).

According to a report by News9Live, the state's environment department has formed a five-member technical team with members from Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Anna University and the Coast Guard to visit CPCL to investigate the reason for the oil spill and submit a report this evening.

Earlier, the Chennai bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had taken suo moto cognisance of the matter after a video of the oil floating in localities in the Ennore-Manali region went viral on social media. It had ordered the formation of a high-level committee to probe the issue.