Chennai, Oct 24 (IANS): The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) on Thursday demanded Rs 74 crore compensation from the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL) for the 2023 oil spill in Ennore.
The TNPCB made the demand when the National Green Tribunal (NGT) Southern Bench, was hearing a suo motu case related to the spill, allegedly caused by CPCL.
It stated that the oil spill caused significant damage to the ecologically sensitive Ennore Creek and Kosathaliyar River, severely affecting the livelihoods of hundreds of fishermen.
During the hearing, the TNPCB revealed that a committee constituted by the board had determined the compensation to be Rs 74 crore. Of this amount, Rs 35.43 crore would be allocated to address the socio-economic damages, while Rs 38.24 crore would be set aside for environmental damages.
The NGT bench, comprising judicial member Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Satyagopal Karalapati, directed the government counsel and other parties to submit their reports and objections during the second hearing scheduled for January 24.
The Tamil Nadu government had commissioned a study on the Ennore oil spill by IIT-Madras and the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Goa.
According to the IIT-Madras report, the flooding of open tanks at CPCL during the floods was suspected as the primary source of the oil spill. The report estimated that the oil spill ranged between 647 cubic metres (or 517 tonnes) and 3,212 cubic metres (or 2,569 tonnes).
The lower figure of 517 tonnes is a conservative estimate, while 3,212 cubic metres (2,569 tonnes) represents a less conservative assessment.
The Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department (WRD) has accused CPCL of deliberately leaking oil through its pipelines during the monsoon periods.
The WRD claimed that oil floating on the surface of the Buckingham Canal was visual evidence of this. They also argued that CPCL takes advantage of the monsoon’s dilution effect on the canal to release oil deliberately.
The WRD urged the TNPCB to ensure that no such environmental hazards occur in the future and called for stricter enforcement against CPCL to prevent deliberate oil leaks.