Fishermen raise concern over oil being washed ashore off Raigad and Ratnagiri coast

Large quantities of oil being washed ashore along Raigad and Ratnagiri coasts on Thursday have raised concern among environmentalists and fishermen. Strong tidal currents and winds formed in the Arabian sea due to cyclone Vayu are to blame, they claim.

"After being informed about it by fishermen, I myself went to check the scenario. It was not typically dark black oil, but more of crude oil that was seen floating on waves," said Ganesh Nakhawa, chairman of Purse Seine Fishing Welfare Association, adding that the situation and the impact of the oil on beaches and coast would become clearer in a few days time, but as of now the situation appears to be grim.

Mumbai too seemed to have been not been spared as large quantities of plastic bottles soaked in oil were thrown back on the shore by the sea near the Gateway of India.

Pradip Patade, co-founder of Marine Life Of Mumbai (MLOM) who has been documenting marine life along Mumbai for several years now said that the rough sea regularly ends up throwing back huge quantities of trash and plastic near the Gateway of India. "During monsoons, the wind moves shorewards, washing ashore oils and tar balls," he said adding that oil or tar balls have not washed up along Mumbai's beaches so far.

Former principal scientist at Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Dr Vinay Deshmukh stated that though he is unaware of the current situation, oil and tar balls being washed ashore along the western shore is common during monsoons.

"The Arabian Sea is the largest oil carrying route of the world, thus instances of oil spills and ballast water discharges are also high. With churning of the sea during monsoons, oil floating on the surface of the sea can be thrust upon the coast," he said.

Tar balls are lumps of solidified crude oil found in or on the sea that get washed up on the shore. As per experts, tarball pollution has severe consequences on not only destroying the scenic beauty of the beach but as it also threatens marine life like crabs, shrimps and other species.

Oil spills are not uncommon in peninsular India, which saw one of the worst leakages in 2013 when a gas pipeline off the western Mumbai coast spewed at least 1,000 litres of crude oil into the sea. In 2010, two merchant ships collided off the Mumbai coast again, spilling over 800 tonnes of oil and damaging mangroves along the coastline.