oHERALDo 01 September, 2010
*Tar balls*: Govt vows emergency plan HERALD REPORTER Tar balls: Govt vows emergency plan HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, AUG 31 The government has promised to put an emergency plan in place by Wednesday evening to tackle the tar ball menace along the Colva-Sernabatim-Betalbatim belt along Salcete’s coast, even as fresh deposits of the oily substance was spotted along the coastal belt on Tuesday. Fire men and labourers got down to the mammoth task of cleaning tar balls on the beach on Tuesday along the Colva stretch of the coastline. The Goa State Pollution Control Board officials also made their presence felt at the beach with a mobile laboratory and collected samples of the oily substance. Environment Minister Aleixo Sequeira along with Tourism Minister, Nilkhant Harlankar, Tourism Director Swapnil Naik, Valanka Alemao, Colva Panch Calvert Gonsalves inspected the beach and took stock of the situation. Sequeira said the government will work out an emergency plan of action by Wednesday after receiving report from the Pollution Control Board. “We are trying to clean up the beach stretch as fast as we can. As of now, the Goa Pollution Control Board has collected the samples and the report will be available within 48 hours. Hopefully, by Wednesday, we will be able to put in place an emergency plan to tackle the situation”, informed the Minister for Environment, Aleixo Sequeira. The minister disagreed that the coastline has been hit by a disaster, adding that the State has witnessed tar balls surfacing along the coast year after year. He also said the Mumbai oil spill has nothing to do with the tar balls and refuted reports of any oil spill in the sea. “The Mumbai spill has nothing to do with the tar balls. The tar balls surfacing along the coast is an annual phenomenon in Goa. They say that the tar balls settle on the sea bed during off season and land on the shore during monsoons”, he said. The Tourism Minister said no effort will be spared to clean up the beach as early as possible. He said the department has already deployed workers for the clean up work. While a Coast Guard helicopter hovered over the Arabian Sea this morning, the fire services led by Assistant Fire Divisional Officer, Prakash Parab told newsmen that the entire exercise will require a large army of workers to clean up the beach stretch. Incidentally, the Environment Minister claimed that none of the village panchayats on the coastal belt affected by the tar balls have complained either to him or to the Tourism Minister about the oily substance. “I came to know of the situation following a complaint from Valanka. Otherwise, none of the panchayat bodies have drawn my attention to the menace on the beach”, Sequeira added. Meanwhile, the carcass of a dolphin was washed ashore on the Colva beach Tuesday morning. http://www.oheraldo.in/news/Local%20News/Tar-balls-Govt-vows-emergency-plan/40471.html *Tar balls* buried on beach! HERALD REPORTER Tar balls buried on beach! HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, AUG 31 Ill-equipped to deal with the tar balls, labourers deployed to clean up the beaches are found disposing off the oily substance by burying them in pits dug right on the beach. The labourers dug up small pits on the shore to dispose off the tar balls. At some places, the oily substance was disposed off in the vegetation on the landward side of the beach. When contacted a senior official, he admitted that disposing off the tar balls in pits on the beach is not the scientific way of getting rid of the oily substance. Assistant fire divisional officer, Margao Prakash Parab said the oily substance needs to be transported at a designated place. instead of burying the balls on the beach. “He, however, said that there is no harm if the tar balls are collected and stored at one place on the beach and then shifted to a designated place”, he added. Expressing surprise over the mode of disposing off the tar balls, locals said the oily substance may resurface again if the tar balls are buried on the beach instead of being lifted away from the shore. http://www.oheraldo.in/news/Local%20News/Tar-balls-buried-on-beach/40455.html Pin down *tar ball* source, govt to NIO, Coast Guards HERALD REPORTER Pin down tar ball source, govt to NIO, Coast Guards HERALD REPORTER PANJIM, AUG 31 With the tar balls invading the beaches across the State, the government has sought assistance from the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard to identify the vessel, which may have possibly discharged oil in high seas. Addressing a press conference, after a joint meeting with the Goa State Pollution Control Board and the NIO, Minister for Environment Alexio Sequeira disclosed that his ministry has sought details of the ship which may have crossed through the coastline in last 72 hours. “I visited the beaches at Colva, Betalbatim and Velsao, along with Tourism Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar, he said adding that this was a normal phenomenon during monsoons. It has been happening year after year every during monsoons,” he stated adding that “the situation is not as alarming as it has been reported in the print and electronic media.” Nonetheless, he continued, “we have decided to take the matter seriously and studying possibility of some rogue vessel undertaking bulging of its oil tanks into the high seas off Goa.” Sequeira said that in this regard we have sought assistance from the NIO which has assured full cooperation. “The samples of the tar balls have been handed over to the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) and the NIO, which will conduct tests in their laboratories. We have also asked them to finger print the hydrocarbons in the tar ball,” he said adding “this process can help us lay hands on the rogue vessel.” The minister said that the government has also sought help from the Indian Navy, Coast Guard to seek details of the vessels which may have been crossed the Indian territorial waters as well as the Exclusive Economic Zone in the last 72 hours. “This would be a long process and cannot be done immediately but if we are able to find the vessel, action would be initiated,” he said. The minister said that he had taken up the issue of tar ball in July this year with the Union minister for environment, who had assured to look into the matter. Meanwhile, Sequeira said, the tourism minister has directed his department to ensure that all the beaches are cleaned immediately so that it does not cause any problem to the visiting tourists. “We have asked the GSPCB to speak to agencies involved in hazardous waste with regards to disposing off the tar balls,” Sequeira said adding “the Tourism Minister has also directed the department to seek assistance of additional manpower if need be.” http://www.oheraldo.in/news/Local%20News/Pin-down-tar-ball-source-govt-to-NIO-Coast-Guards/40459.html Shantaram seeks Central help HERALD NEWS DESK Shantaram seeks Central help HERALD NEWS DESK PANJIM, AUG 31 Raja Sabha MP Shantaram Naik has appealed to the Union Minister of Environment and Forest Jairam Ramesh to send a team of experts to Goa to examine the causes which lead to the collection of tar balls on Goa sea coast every year and the steps to be taken to prevent such occurrences. In a letter sent to the Ramesh today, Naik referring to the nuisance caused by tar balls on the Goa coast on Monday said that the tar balls have marred the beauty of South Goa coastline from Sernabatim to Betalbatim. General impression is that this is an annual feature, and that, every year the tourism department has to clean up the affected beaches and that is all, Naik says in his letter. Naik says that, one fact is apparently clear that it is the passing ships along the coastline which are the culprits. They discharge their waste which either surfaces before being deposited in the sea bed or waste gets erupted in monsoon due the act of nature, Naik says. The question needs to be examined that whether the Captains of the ships concerned can flout the rules and cause damage to the coastlines of the countries they pass bye, in a fragrant manner, Naik said in his letter. There must be international conventions to regulate such behaviours which, India has to invoke, Naik said in his letter “We have also to find out whether there is any mischief involved in causing damage to an internationally known tourist destination,” Naik adds. An effort should also be made to identify the ships which discharge their waste into the sea by following the procedure otherwise than that would violate the environmental and other laws, Naik said in his letter. http://www.oheraldo.in/news/Local%20News/Shantaram-seeks-Central-help/40458.html NEERI to study *tar ball* phenomenon HERALD REPORTER NEERI to study tar ball phenomenon HERALD REPORTER MARGAO, AUG 31 The government has said that the Union Ministry of Shipping and Environment and Forests have ordered NEERI to conduct a detailed study on the annual phenomenon of tar balls surfacing along Goa’s coastline. Environment Minister Alexio Sequeira said the Goa government took up the issue with the Ministries of Shipping, besides Environment and Forests and the process has got underway. “The government is serious on the matter, but has got limited powers. I had raised up the issue with Union Minister for Environment and Forests, Jairam Ramesh during my meeting with him two months ago. Ramesh has ordered a study and the process is now underway”, he added. Sequeira further said the coast guard also has their own limitations given their territorial jurisdiction, adding that action will follow only after the completion of the study. http://www.oheraldo.in/news/Local%20News/NEERI-to-study-tar-ball-phenomenon/40456.html -- -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. Miguel Braganza, S-1 Gracinda Apts, Rajvaddo, Mapusa 403507 Goa Ph +91-9822982676;91-832-2255913 www.ofai.org www.pgsorganic.in Horticulture.Facilitation.Networking -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
