What are oil spills?

• Oil spills refer to the accidental or intentional release of liquid petroleum hydrocarbons into the environment.
• These spills can have detrimental effects on ecosystems, wildlife, and human communities.
• Oil spills can occur through various means:

• Accidents: Accidental spills can happen during the extraction, transportation, and refining of oil.
• Leakage: Aging infrastructure, corrosion, or technical failures in oil pipelines and storage facilities can result in leaks, leading to oil spills.
• Shipwrecks: Maritime accidents, such as collisions, groundings, or sinking of oil tankers, can cause significant oil spills in marine environments.

Impacts of oil spills

• Oil is toxic to many marine organisms. Fish, shellfish, and other aquatic organisms may suffer direct mortality when exposed to oil.
• Birds that come into contact with oil can experience feather contamination, making it difficult for them to fly. 
• Oil spills can contaminate coastal habitats, including marshes, mangroves, and estuaries.
• Oil spills can have cascading effects on plankton and small organisms, disrupting the base of the marine food chain.

Measures to mitigate oil spills

• Booms and barriers are physical structures deployed on the water’s surface to contain and control the spread of spilled oil. 
• Skimmers are devices used to remove oil from the water’s surface. They work by physically separating the oil from the water, allowing for the recovery of the spilled oil.
• Oilzapper technology is an eco-friendly technology for the remediation of oil spills. It makes use of five bacterial strains for the treatment of oil spills.
• Advanced Technologies can be used for oil drilling, transportation, and storage to minimize the risk of spills. This includes the use of double-hulled tankers, blowout preventers, and safety equipment.

Why in News?

• The Tamil Nadu government has fixed a total of ₹8.68 crore as relief fund for families that were affected by the oil spill from industries surrounding Ennore creek during Cyclone Michaung. 

About Ennore creek

• Ennore Creek is a backwater located in Ennore, Chennai along the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal.
• The north–south trending channels of the creek connect it with the Pulicat Lake to the north and to the distributaries of the Kosasthalaiyar River in the south.
• Ennore creek is part of Ennore-Pulicat wetland system, which acts as an ecological unit that protects biodiversity and recharges groundwater.
• Once a flourishing mangrove swamp, the creek has been immensely degraded due to human activities such as release of untreated industrial effluents into the water bodies.