Centre Proposes first-ever Tar Balls Management Rules to Tackle Marine Pollution

Syllabus: GS3/Environment

Context

• The Centre has, for the first time, proposed dedicated rules to manage tar balls that cause on-shore and off-shore marine pollution.

About Tar Balls

• Tar balls are fragments or lumps of oil weathered to a semi-solid or solid consistency, feel sticky, and are difficult to remove from contaminated surfaces.
  • They are formed through the combining of viscous hydrocarbons with debris that is present in the water column. 
  • They float in the ocean and wash up on beaches, ranging from pea-sized to basketball-sized.
• These tar balls contain toxic contaminants, such as heavy metals, trace elements, and persistent-organic pollutants, and pose environmental and health risks.
• It affects flora and fauna, and the tourism industry due to their deposition on beaches.

The Tar-balls Management Rules 2026

• The rules assign responsibilities for generation, collection, storage, transport, treatment, and disposal of this pollutant, including its repurposing as fuel in cement production. 
• It will cover persons or companies that own, control, or operate ships, vessels, and facilities where oil, both crude or fuel, is extracted, explored, transported, and handled.
  • These entities together have been defined as ‘oil facilities’ under the draft rules.
• Role of Authorities: It outlines the role of ministries ranging from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas to the Ministry of Ports, and Defence ministry regarding ‘environmentally sound’ management of tar balls.
  • State governments shall declare pollution in coastal areas due to tar balls as a state disaster, and they have to act under the Disaster Management Act.
    • Currently, the National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (NOS-DCP) lays down a framework and responsibilities on how to respond to oil spills.
  • It proposes the formation of State Level Crisis Management Groups under the NOSDCP established by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG).
• Role of ICG: The ICG is tasked with implementing the NOSDCP to effectively manage oil spills and the formation of tar balls.
  • The ICG will conduct regular aerial and surface surveillance for oil spills in Indian Exclusive Economic Zones and inform relevant stakeholders for necessary preparedness and response measures. 
• Penalty: Oil facility owners will be liable to pay an environmental compensation as per the ‘polluter pays principle’ if they fail to manage oil in an environmentally sound manner and lead to any oil spill.
  • Compensation will also be levied on transporters, operators of treatment facilities if tar balls are not handled properly.

Source: IE