More than 20,000 people residing on the banks of the Buckingham Canal in Ennore of North Chennai have been severely affected by the massive oil spill from the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd refinery, as they prepare to face far-reaching consequences to their health as well as the ecosystems they depend on for a livelihood. The heavy deposits of oil had seeped out of CPCL premises on December 4 — the day Cyclone Michaung caused intense rains and flooding in Chennai — before entering the Buckingham Canal that flows from south to north across the city, spreading into the Ennore Creek which is an arm of the Kosasthalaiyar River, and finally entering the Bay of Bengal.
Speaking to TNM, inland fishers who depend on the Buckingham Canal, Ennore Creek, and the Kosasthalaiyar River for their livelihoods say they have lost their means of income due to this man-made disaster. They demand that the state government take immediate action to ensure this does not happen again, at CPCL or any other refinery. They also urge the government to direct the petroleum company, which functions under India’s Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, to provide compensation for the loss they have incurred.
Those affected by the oil spill include fishers from eight villages — Kattukuppam, Thazhanguppam, Chinnakuppam, Periyakuppam, Nattukuppam, Ennore Kuppam, Sivanpadai Veedhi, and Mugathuvaara Kuppam. Some of them share their fears with us, that the ecosystem they hold dear will never be restored. “It has been 10 days since we went fishing,” they say, adding that they were afraid the situation would remain the same for another six to eight months, with no catches for them from the river.
“The microclimatic conditions in the canal and the nearby mangroves make the ecosystem a breeding ground for fishes and prawns. The oil damaged the ecosystem and killed all the fish in the water. It will take at least six months for nature to restore this habitat for the fish to breed again, and that is if anything survives this disaster. Until then, we do not know what we should do to make ends meet,” says Raghuman, an inland fisherman.
He adds that even if the habitat is restored, there is no guarantee that the fish will be healthy enough to be consumed. “People have already stopped buying fish from Ennore fishermen because of the years-long pollution that has damaged the river, other water bodies, and the ecosystem. There were a few people in the lower strata of society who would buy these fishes but for a cheaper price than their actual market value. But this incident will further distance customers,” he says.