Palghar beach threatened by tarballs; Fishermen state their woes

Amidst the heavy rainfall across Maharashtra recently, tarballs have reportedly washed up in a beach at Palghar,

These tarballs pose a massive threat to marine biodiversity and the ecosystem. These happen to be dark-coloured, sticky balls of oil that form when crude oil floats on the ocean surface. Moreover, they are formed by weathering of crude oil in marine environments. Also, they are usually carried from the open sea to the shores by sea currents and waves.

According to reports, these have been spotted in a mangroves forest close to Mahim beach in Palghar. Meanwhile, environmentalists have been demanding for the beach be cleaned up at the earliest.

Meanwhile, speaking to news agencies, fishermen have stated that they have to walk through the tarballs to catch fish to make a living. In addition, in the months of May-June, this year tarballs had deposited on the beach and in mangroves in large amounts.

On the other hand, a Mumbai-based voluntary organisation named United Ways had earlier conducted clean-up and marine conservation activities on the city’s beaches for a while now. More impressively, the conservation group has adopted seven beaches in Mumbai under its “Clean Shores” project to maintain cleanliness across the beaches and tender proper waste management on a public-private partnership.

The group plans to engage citizens with the Clean Shores initiative and also assist the efforts undertaken by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

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