Mumbai: Oil spill at Juhu beach threatens marine life

Tar balls seen on Juhu beach after the oil spill. Pic/Reagan Creado

An oil spill was reported at Juhu beach yesterday, with vast swathes of oil and tar balls seen all over the sand along with plastic litter. The magnitude of the spill was initially thought to be less, but after low tide, a thick layer of oil was noticed.

A volunteer of Marine Life of Mumbai was among those who spotted the mess. Reagan Creado told mid-day, "While most tar balls were the size of large marbles, there were several that were as big as fists. Huge portions of the beach near the water were covered in oil. There is already so much plastic that gets washed away; the mixing of this oil will create a deathtrap for our marine life."

Experts said such a spill or tar balls washing ashore on the west coast from Kerala to Gujarat during monsoon due to strong winds had become common and was adversely affecting the marine ecosystem. Dr Vinay Deshmukh, retired principal scientist, Mumbai Research Centre of Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, said, "There are multiple reasons for such spills. There are some oil wells situated deep inside the sea; sometimes, there's a leakage, which leads to this. Another cause might be the ballastic water that is released from oil tankers into the sea, which too has oil. After the oil evaporates, the residue - tar balls - washes ashore. This poses a serious threat to marine creatures."

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