Oil spill threatens turtle nesting site

Oil spilt from a coal carrying ship from Indonesia, anchored at Gopalpur Port in Ganjam district of Orissa, is washed ashore at the Rushikulya Olive Ridley turtle rookery. The hatchlings are expected to emerge in a fortnight in the same beach.

Spillage of oil from a ship at the Gopalpur port in Orissa has threatened the nesting site of Olive Ridleys near the Rushikulya rookery.

The authorities of the Gopalpur Ports Limited (GPL), Forest Department, and environmental activists are making efforts to reduce the impact of the spill on the coast.

Executive Director of the Gopalpur Ports Limited (GPL), P.K. Panigrahi said the spill occurred on Monday evening.

A barge lost control due to rough weather and hit the Indonesian ship MV Malavika anchored near the port. A storage chamber on its side cracked and oil started to spill out. The engineers immediately made efforts to transfer the oil from the damaged unit to restrict spillage. But by that time around 7,000 litres had poured into the sea. The engineers say this oil may be the ship’s furnace oil or waste oil of its engine.

The spilt oil has started to reach the coast near the rookery blackening the sand. But it is yet to reach the stretch where the Olive Ridleys had nested. The Berhampur Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), A.K. Jena said the nests are not yet affected.

The Olive Ridley eggs are to hatch in another fortnight.

The toxic effect of the spill may lead to increased mortality of the turtle hatchlings this year, environmental activist Rabindra Sahu said.

1.8 lakh Olive Ridleys turtles arrive on Orissa beach for nesting

KENDRAPARA (Orissa, INDIA): An estimated 1.8 lakh female Olive Ridley turtles have so far arrived en-masse to lay eggs, a unique natural phenomenon, at Gahirmatha marine sanctuary in Kendrapara district, officials said.

Since February 24 night the tranquil beaches on south eastern part of Nasi-2 island, close to Defence Research Development Organisation’s installation at the Wheeler’s Island, are teeming with turtles, Prasanna Kumar Behera, Divisional Forest Officer, Rajnagar Mangrove (Wildlife) forest division, said.

“The Olive Ridleys are literally invading the beach and are digging 2-3 feet deep pits to lay eggs. They covered the pits with sand after laying the eggs and loitered in the area for an hour or two before disappearing into the waves,” he said.

“With thousands of the turtles digging the pits at the same time, it created a soothing cacophony”, a forest official present at the site, said.