The Indian Coast Guard conducted the 24th edition of the National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan and preparedness meeting in Chennai on Wednesday.
New Delhi,UPDATED: Dec 1, 2022 05:46 IST
The Indian Coast Guard conducted the 24th edition of the National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan and preparedness meeting in Chennai on Wednesday.
By Manjeet Singh Negi: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) conducted the 24th edition of the National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (NOS-DCP) and preparedness meeting in Chennai on Wednesday (November 30).
V S Pathania, Director General of the Indian Coast Guard and NOS-DCP Chairman, chaired the meeting in which about 100 delegates, including representatives from the State Pollution Control Board, ports and oil handling companies, and central and state government ministries, departments, and agencies took part. The national capabilities to ensure collective preparedness for oil and chemical spill contingencies in Indian waters were reviewed during the meeting.
At present, India – the third largest importer of crude – receives a large volume of oil through ships. India is also the sixth major chemical importer in the world. Both spilled oil and chemicals pose inherent risks to the country’s maritime zones and the connected coastlines which house a large population of marine ecosystem, industries including tourism, and various installations. Preventive measures by the central coordinating agency, ports, ship owners, oil handling facilities, coastal states, and other stakeholders concerned are thus required to be taken into consideration to combat a likely marine spill.
During the address, Pathania committed that the Indian Coast Guard is fully prepared to combat threats to the region and its resources, including marine oil and chemical spills in the sea. He also stressed that the stakeholders must recognize the emerging vulnerabilities and keep those in check by enhancing cooperation through stronger partnerships, effective coordination, and best practices of technology.
