Oil Spills- A crucial topic to discuss – Earth Conference 2024

By Trina Kanungo

Oil spill, is basically the leakage of petroleum onto the surface of a large body of water. The
unintentional or negligent release of used gasoline solvents and crankcase lubricants by industries
and individuals greatly aggravates the overall environmental problem.The costs of oil spills are considerable in both economic and ecological terms. Oil on ocean surfaces is harmful to many forms of aquatic life because it prevents sufficient amounts of sunlight from penetrating the surface, and it also reduces the level of dissolved oxygen.

Ingested oil can be toxic to affected animals, and damage to their habitat and reproductive rate may
slow the long-term recovery of animal populations from the short-term damage caused by the spill
itself. Damage to plant life can be considerable as well; saltwater marshes and mangroves are two
notable shore ecosystems that frequently suffer from oil spills. If beaches and populated shorelines
are fouled, tourism and commerce may be severely affected, as may power plants and other utilities
that either draw on or discharge into seawater at the shore.

One such live case, has been covered in this article. On the 6 th of January 2024, in the Puri sea beach,
a sea turtle was found dead on the shore. The dead turtle had froth in his mouth. It was so heart
breaking to see the pathetic demise of the priceless species. And saddest part was to see tourists
taking selfie with that lifeless turtle! The oil spills and the water pollution actually adversely affect the flora and fauna of our aquatic ecosystem.

This example is just a warning that on daily basis , we are actually losing thousands of such
species due to emissions from ship, cargoes, factory outlets, tourists dumping plastics , and so many
other ruthless activities. We are responsible for harming our ecosystem. We are solely harming the
environment and is answerable to the next generation for losing the ecological balance.
It is highly commendable to work on reducing these activities and work on alternative source of
energy as these species have the basic right to live and survive in the Nature. Mother earth equally
belongs to them, as much as She belongs to us. We must pledge to protect the ecological balance by
securing a good ambiance for the flora and fauna of our immediate environment. Only then we can
assure a minimal polluted environment to the next generation.