23 May 2024: PIB Summary for UPSC

23 May 2024 PIB
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Indian Coast Guard (ICG)
2. Indian Naval Ships Visit to Manila, The Philippines

1. Indian Coast Guard (ICG)

Syllabus: GS-3, Defence & Security

Prelims: Indian Coast Guard (ICG)

Context:

ICG conducted a Pollution Response Seminar & Mock Drill in West Bengal to address the critical challenges of combating oil spills at sea.

Details:

• The event gathered key stakeholders from various agencies, along with oil handling agencies, to address the critical challenges of combating oil spills at sea.
• Participants engaged in a tabletop exercise, collaborating on simulated scenarios to enhance their response capabilities and foster synergy among all involved parties. 
• State-of-the-art pollution response equipment was demonstrated, providing participants with practical experience to further improve their readiness for environmental crises.

Oil Spills:

• An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially marine areas, due to human activity. 
• The term is usually applied to marine oil spills, where oil is released into the ocean or coastal waters, but spills may also occur on land.
• Effects of oil spills:
  • Oil spills threaten millions of miles of coastline, river systems, lakes, and terrestrial habitat daily, particularly where extensive oil drilling, refining, and transport take place.
  • Those spills closest to shore generally have the greatest adverse effects on the environment since the oil would not have time to disperse before reaching shore and can significantly impact the sensitive habitats of a variety of organisms. 
  • An oil spill represents immediate negative effects on human health, including respiratory and reproductive problems as well as liver, and immune system damage. 
  • Oil spills causing future oil supply to decline also affect the everyday life of humans such as the potential closure of beaches, parks, fisheries and fire hazards. 
  • Spilled oil can also contaminate drinking water supplies.

Agency responsible for cleaning up oil spills in India:

• The Indian Coast Guard is the Central Coordinating Authority in India for matters related to Oil Spills.  
• The National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (NOSDCP) promulgated by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) is the apex plan for responding to oil spill disasters in Indian waters and is applicable to shipping, ports, and oil industries.
• In 2015 India ratified the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage, 2001 (Bunker Convention) which ensures adequate, prompt and effective compensation for damage caused by oil spills.

 

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