On the evening of December 21, 2023, in the wintry chill, 38-year-old fisherman M Santhosh Kumar faced the Kosasthalaiyar river with a steady gaze. The river flows north of Chennai city, drains into the Bay of Bengal, and is the most important source of livelihood for Kumar. It now bears the scars of a large-scale oil spill mixed with floodwater in the aftermath of cyclone Michaung that battered Chennai, in early December.
Kumar and more than 2,000 fishermen from the nine fishing villages of Ennore (a neighbourhood in north Chennai), have not ventured into the Kosasthalaiyar river, the Ennore Creek, and the Bay of Bengal since the beginning of December, as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert ahead of Cyclone Michaung. Cyclone Michaung ravaged Chennai with unprecedented rainfall of 45 cm in 36 hours on December 3 and December 4, leaving the city inundated.
While the cyclone prevented fishermen from accessing the waters for one week, the oil spill that happened after the cyclone passed, has rendered the waters unfit for fishing, bringing the lives of fishermen in Ennore to a complete standstill.
On December 4, crude oil from the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL), a public sector refining company, reportedly leaked into the Kosasthalaiyar river, Ennore Creek, and the sea. This was exacerbated by floods because it resulted in a quick spread of the oil, confirms an expert (on condition of anonymity) from the Indian Institute of Technology – Madras (IIT-M).
Media reports revealed that the oil spill spans 20 square kilometres, extending from the Kasimedu harbour to the Kosasthalaiyar river, adjoining Santhosh Kumar’s hamlet. When the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board’s (TNPCB) technical team ventured to find out the source of the oil spill they reported that, “there is some stagnant storm water along with oil, adjoining to the storm outlet near South Gate of Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited, which is slowly contributing to oil traces.”
However, a senior official of CPCL counters this claim. At the clean-up site, the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, tells Mongabay-India that the petroleum company should not be blamed for the oil spillage. “Oil used to clean the motors from the industrial estate of Chintadripet has contaminated the waters. But as our refinery is located closest to the affected region, we have been blamed. And so, we have been part of the clean-up activity,” the official shares.
According to a TNPCB official at the clean-up site, who also wishes to be anonymous, oil from CPCL mixed with the surplus flood water. “In addition to this, the state government had to discharge excess water from Puzhal and Poondi reservoirs, increasing the flooding situation and resulting in a quick spread of oil spill,” the official adds.
Having endured the dual impact of Cyclone Michaung and an oil spill, fishing families now confront an uncertain future. With the men facing irregular incomes, the burden of managing households has shifted to the shoulders of the fisherwomen. “A few days a week, my husband used to come home empty-handed after a long day of fishing. But that never distressed me, as I knew the catch would be good the next day or the day after,” shares K Srimathi (45), wife of a fisherman from Nettukuppam village.
For fishermen to now venture into the sea, their boats need repairs, the marine ecosystem must be restored, and, most importantly, the water should be clear of oil. As the timeline for any of these developments remains unclear, the women are growing anxious. “We are begging our neighbours for some onion and tamarind,” says 33-year-old N Ratna of Ennore Kuppam. She claims that her savings of Rs. 5,000 are now exhausted and she has pledged her gold chain to keep the cooking pot boiling at her home.
On December 23, 2023, Chief Minister MK Stalin declared compensation of Rs 8.68 crore for 9,001 affected families. Each family will receive Rs 12,500, with an additional Rs 10,000 allocated for the repair of 787 damaged boats. CPCL will bear Rs. 7.53 crore of the total Rs. 8.68 crore relief fund. However, fishermen state that their economic losses are many times higher than the announced compensation.