The directorate general of shipping has said the ship has little oil and no cargo, and therefore poses no immediate threat to the environment. Experts, however, said the long-term effects of the vessel being stranded would cause erosion of the seabed and marine pollution.
"It is a matter of serious concern. Since the vessel was going to the scrap yard, the corrosion of paints must have already begun. The more it stays grounded to the seabed, the greater the possibility of toxic paints seeping into the water and polluting the coast," said Dr Arvind Untawale, former deputy director of National Oceanographic Laboratory.
Paints are laden with heavy metal compounds and environmentalists say the metals can mix with water and enter the food chain through fish and mollusks. Untawale said the soil beneath the vessel can also get eroded and the subsoil wash ashore. D Stalin, project director of NGO Vanashakti, said, "We have an example in Goa. The vessel River Princess ran aground at Candolim in 2000. After some years, the size of the beach started reducing due to soil erosion and coarse mud being washed ashore. The beach became unfit for swimming and the state lost crores of rupees as there was a decline in the number of tourists. The hotel industry also suffered," Stalin said. "Today there is a huge crowd to see the spectacle in Juhu. But it will be a matter of time till people don't step on the beach if the ship is not removed." Read the full report here.
Source: Viju B, TNN, Mumbai.
