Kanyakumari, June 3
Plastic nurdles have washed up along the shores of 36 out of the 42 coastal villages in Tamil Nadu's Kanyakumari district following the sinking of the Liberia-flagged cargo vessel MSC Elsa 3 off the Kochi coast on May 24.
District Collector R. Alagumeena confirmed the extent of the spread and said the cleanup operation is underway, with drone surveillance documenting the effort.
The spill has significantly impacted coastal habitats, particularly in Killiyoor taluk, where all 16 villages have been affected. In Kalkulam and Agastheeswaram taluks, 10 of the 13 coastal hamlets in each have also reported the presence of nurdles -- small plastic pellets used in manufacturing.
The plastic debris has reached as far south as Manakudi, a coastal village near Kanyakumari town.
According to officials, a container suspected to be carrying the nurdles washed ashore near the Vaniyakudi coast in Colachel last Thursday. It was retrieved by a team of experts and handed over to the Customs Department in Thoothukudi for further examination.
“So far, 858 bags of nurdles -- each weighing about 25 kg -- have been collected. On Monday alone, we cleared 248 bags,” said Collector Alagumeena.
The collected material is being temporarily stored at various fishing harbours across the district. She added that additional items such as wooden logs and some edible goods have also been found along the shoreline.