Oil Spillage

Any oil spillage is a serious potential threat for marine biodiversity. Passenger and cargo ships dumping untreated waste into the sea around the islands and discharging waste oil cause severe pollution. Lakshadweep falls along the main route for oil tankers plying between the Middle East and South/South-east Asia. Furthermore, the reefs of Lakshadweep and Nicobar islands are considered to be the most polluted in the Indian ocean because the seas around them serve as major routes for oil tankers (Bakus, 1994).

A study conducted by the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUST) on the ‘Coral reef ecosystem of Lakshadweep-a biogeochemical facsimile’ has found that 25% of the outer cells in the reefs were dead due to the prolonged trapping of sediment on the coral with a high concentration of toxic metals and other harmful chemical compounds on them (Source: Giji Marykulam, Indian Exp., 6/1/04). The effect of oil on corals, sea grasses and other marine resources needs further study.

Click to know more:

• Project Abstract
• Oil Spillage
• Pollution
• Coral bleaching
• Highlights of the findings achieved in the project
• Detailed report of work done on the project
• Description of the study areas
• Recommendation including remedial measures
• Impacts of the work on the scientific potential of our country