Tar Balls

Tar Balls Latest News

Recently, the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change has released draft rules aimed at managing ‘tar balls’ to protect the coastline and marine environment from oil spills

About Tar Balls

• Tar balls are small, dark, sticky blobs of weathered oil that form in marine environments due to oil spills or natural seeps.
• Formation
  • Tar balls are formed by weathering of crude oil in marine environments. They are transported from the open sea to the shores by sea currents and waves.
  • They undergo physical, chemical, and biological processes, resulting in semi-solid or solid lumps that often wash ashore, causing environmental damage and posing risks to human health. ​
  • Some of the balls are as big as a basketball while others are smaller globules.
• Composition: These tar balls contain toxic contaminants, such as heavy metals, trace elements, and persistent organic pollutants, 
• Impacts of Tar Balls
  • Biodiversity: They often accumulate on beaches and pose a danger to seabirds, fish, and marine animals, such as sea turtles, which may mistakenly ingest them, thinking they are food.
  • India’s western coast, particularly the area from Gujarat to Goa, is significantly affected by tar balls, especially during the seasonal period from April to September.

Source: NIE

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