Ship responsible for killer spill in South Gujarat vanishes

The spillage that has been choking marine life and terrifying people across a 100 km swath in south Gujarat, since August 3, may have come from a steamer or a ship, authorities said. But the culprit may never be found.

“The Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) conducted an investigation into the incident on the very first day and found that it was an oil spillage,” said the Valsad district collector, RB Dave. “Though it is clear that the pollution was caused by an oil discharge from a ship, taking action will be difficult because it is not possible to locate the ship. However, the GPCB is preparing a plan to prevent such incidents in future.”

As for the current crisis, more fish and other aquatic creatures were killed on Saturday. Residents of villages of coastal areas — from Ubharat in Navsari district to Umargaon in Valsad district — found big spongy balls of chemicals spread across vast areas. The villagers said spill was letting off a nauseating smell.

“Such spillages have happened in past, but this time it spread across large tracts of land,” said Kantu Patel, a resident of Tithal village. “Fishing activity has stopped completely and it is also affecting tourism.” Sanket Desai, an environmentalist in Valsad, said, “This is more than mere oil spillage. There is presence of harmful chemical, which is making  oil or grease coalese into balls.” Desai said oil alone could not be be so deadly.