Mahul oil leak damages 0.22 hectares of mangroves

The oil leak at Mahul village which remained undetected for a week has permanently damaged 0.22 hectares (0.543 acres) of mangroves. The extent of damage under the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (Barc) is yet to be ascertained. There is a possibility that close to a hectare of mangroves has been damaged. dna on November 6 first reported about the oil leak from an underwater pipeline carrying crude oil to refineries in Chembur.

“The damage has been done. A total of 0.22 hectares of mangroves has been damaged, and not 30 hectares as reported by a section of the media,” said N Vasudevan, chief conservator of forests, mangrove cell. Chances of reviving the mangroves are slim. It can happen only if there are no further oil leaks in the same area. “However, it will take years for the mangroves to grow,” Vasudevan told dna.

Adopting a scientific method called soil treatment can help minimise the damage. But crores of rupees will have to be spent on it. The possibility of the treatment being adopted in the near future is remote. Turn to p6

“After reports of the oil leak surfaced in the media, I sailed to assess the damage. There isn’t much oil in the sea; it is mostly on ground,” Vasudevan said. Forest officials will later visit the area under Barc to assess the extent of damage to the mangroves there.  

For years, the area of Mahul has witnessed sporadic oil leaks from the pipeline carrying oil to the refineries.

In the present case, the crude oil was being supplied to Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and the responsibility of maintaining the pipeline rests with the Mumbai Port Trust. It is the duty of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board to check if pollution norms are being violated.