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Kerala government to tackle nurdles washed ashore
Kerala deploys volunteers and drones to remove plastic nurdles from Thiruvananthapuram's coast after a cargo ship sank, posing environmental risks.
The Kerala government on Wednesday announced the deployment of volunteers and drone surveys to get rid of plastic pellets, also known as nurdles, which were found in large quantities across the coastal areas of Thiruvananthapuram after a Liberia-flagged cargo vessel sank off the coast of Kerala earlier this week.
The nurdles were likely being transported among other cargo items on the vessel and are suspected to have broken out of the containers when they fell into the sea, officials aware of the matter said.
Nurdles are foundational material in the manufacture of a wide range of plastic products and white in colour. According to A Biju Kumar, a senior professor in the department of aquatic biology and fisheries at the University of Kerala, the nurdles are manufactured in small sizes as they can be melted and moulded into manufacturing a range of plastic products. Activists and environmental experts flagged its impact on marine life and habitats.
“Nurdles look like fish eggs and are easily consumed by fish, turtles, and seabirds, leading to intestinal blockages and starvation. It can result in habitat contamination by accumulating in sand and estuaries. Among long-term impacts, nurdles absorb pollutants from seawater becoming toxic pellets. Over time, nurdles break into micro and nano plastics, entering food chains and human diets,” Kumar wrote in a post on Facebook.
The CM said in a statement that civil defence volunteers would be deputed to clear away the plastic pellets from the coast.
“Action is being taken in view of the environmental damage that can be caused by the plastic nurdles. Every 100 metres, there would be volunteers to clear the waste away. Drone surveys would also be done to ensure that the coast is rid of the waste. Officials from the police, fire and rescue service and pollution control board have been appointed to oversee the cleaning work. The supervisors must ensure that the volunteers complete the task safely without any hazards,” he said.
Lija Bose, the vice-president of the Anchuthengu panchayat, told HT that the pellets in massive quantities have lined up the nearly 5.5 kilometres of the coastline in her panchayat.
“It’s granular in size and therefore extremely hard to remove from the coast. As per the directions of the government, we have deputed a few volunteers who will start the work on Thursday. We have been asked to transfer the pellets along with the sand into containers so that it can be filtered later. It is a massive challenge,” she said.
The CM also convened a meeting of the top environmental experts, district collectors and bureaucrats to discuss the possible environmental impact of the scattering of the hazardous cargo materials and the oil spill caused by the capsizing of the Liberia-flagged cargo vessel. The decisions taken at the meeting are not known yet.
