Lok Sabha Question No. 6590 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-04-06
Subject: Environmental Impacts of Oil Spill
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Tejpratap Singh,Yadav, ANJU BALA, B. SREERAMULU

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 6590

TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.04.2018

## Environmental Impacts of Oil Spill

## 6590.  SHRI TEJ PRATAP SINGH YADAV: SHRIMATI ANJU BALA: SHRI B. SRIRAMULU:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the oil spill has polluted fragile coastal ecology and marine biodiversity;
- (b) if so, the details along with ecological and environmental impacts thereof;
- (c) whether  there  is  urgent  need  to  update  the  existing  protocols  to  ensure  better coordination among various agencies for on and off-shore impacts of oil spill and if so, the details thereof and the steps being taken by the Government in this regard;
- (d) whether oil spillage also affects mangroves and  the fishermen and if so, the details thereof;
- (e) whether there is need to provide the compensation to affected fishermen; and
- (f) if so, the details thereof and the remedial steps being taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (DR. MAHESH SHARMA)

- (a)&(b) Oil  spills  adversely  impact  marine  and  coastal  environment  leading  to  mass mortality of flora and fauna, choking of highly mobile species like crabs, clogging of  water  canals,  loss  of  foraging  grounds  for  shore  birds  and  loss  of  nesting grounds for turtles etc. The residual oil from spills can settle down vertically in the sea-bed for prolonged durations causing long-term adverse effects on the benthic environment.  Further,  oil  spills  also  affect  port  infrastructure,  harbours,  beaches, wildlife and fisheries etc.
- (c) The  Indian  Coast  Guard  (ICG)  is  nodal  agency  for  dealing  with  incidents  of  oil spills within the territorial limits of India. The ICG has developed a National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (NOS-DCP) for responding to Oil Spill accidents. The  NOS-DCP  is  a  comprehensive  tool  which  provides  a  framework  of  coordination for integrated response by various governmental agencies to protect the environment from deleterious effects of pollution. The ICG revises the NOS-DCP periodically  in  consultation  with  stakeholders  and  the  last  revision  was  done  in 2015.
- (d) The mangroves and fishermen community are affected by near-shore large scale oil spills.  Oil  spills  can  reach  estuaries  by  water  currents  leading  to  poor  growth  or death of mangroves. The presence of tar balls on beaches affect the fishing space as

well  as  the  market  price  of  fish  stocks  thereby  affecting  the  livelihood  and economic interests of the fishermen adversely.

- (e)&(f) The Ministry of Agriculture and Family Welfare has notified the National Policy on Marine Fisheries, 2017 to ensure the health and ecological integrity of marine resources  within  India's  Exclusive  Economic  Zone  (EEZ)  through  sustainable harvests of these resources. Under the provisions of this policy on 'Fisher Welfare, Social Security Nets & Institutional Credits', oil spills are considered as manmade calamities  and  the  fishing  communities  are  admissible  for  support/assistance  for restoration of their livelihoods.

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