Maharashtra: Tarballs threaten Palghar beach, environmentalists raise alarm

The tarballs washed ashore Mahim beach in Palghar. Fishermen are forced to walk through them on their way to work

After garbage washed ashore Velas beach in Konkan following the heavy rain, tarballs which pose a huge threat to the marine biodiversity and ecosystem, are washing ashore a beach in Palghar. The tarballs have also been spotted in a mangroves forest close to Mahim beach in Palghar. Environment lovers are demanding that the beach be cleaned up at the earliest.

Environment researcher Dhwani Shah recently tweeted about this, "New deposits of #tarballs cover the Mahim Beach, #Palghar... immediate action needed... these #MarinersPollutants should be cleaned ASAP.#SaveOurCoast #TarBalls #OilonMangroves."

Shah has also questioned whose oil is causing the formation of tarballs. Offshore rigs? International Maritime movement?

Fishermen have to walk through the tarballs to catch fish to make a living. In the month of May-June this year tarballs had deposited on the beach and in mangroves in large amounts.

Shah fears that if the beach is not cleaned up soon, the tarballs will melt and mix with the sea water again and come back to the shore next year.

"Tarballs have destroyed the marine ecology of #mahim Beach #palghar #crabs that once left the beach dotted have now disappeared. Only few burrows can be found now," added Shah.

According to a 2017 research paper, ‘Diversity of Bacteria and Fungi Associated with Tarballs: Recent Developments and Future Prospects' by the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), tarballs are dark, sticky balls of oil that form when crude oil floats on the ocean surface. They are transported from the open sea to the shores by currents and waves. Tarballs are usually coin-sized and found strewn on the beaches. However, over the years, they have become as big as basketballs and can weigh as heavy as 6-7 kg.

Tweet talk

Dhwani Shah@@dhwanins: New deposits of #tarballs cover the Mahim Beach, #Palghar... immediate action needed... these #MarinersPollutants should be cleaned ASAP

"Tarballs have destroyed the marine ecology of #mahim Beach #palghar #crabs that once left the beach dotted have now disappeared. Only few burrows can be found now

6-7 kg - Approx weight of some of the tarballs