The Indian Coast Guard has given clean chit to ships earlier held responsible for polluting the sea, after tar balls surfaced on Goan shore during monsoon.
"It is not the ships, but the industries located along the coast that are responsible for this pollution, which is adversely affecting the tourism industry," Director General of Indian Coast Guard Anurag G Thapliyal told reporters today at Vasco, 40 kms away from here.
"We are not allowing the ships to wash. Possibly, there are some minor leakages that are happening from the off-shore industry that subsequently travel down here (on the shore)," said Thapliyal after launching an offshore patrol vessel built by Goa Shipyard Limited.
"It is something (pollution) which is happening and we have sensitised the people about this issue. This issue is being addressed, but it will take a while," he said.
The concerned agencies will have to sensitise those who have oil rigs in the region, he said.
"There could be slight oozing of oil from various areas which subsequently travels to the shore. It is affecting the tourism industry, I don't deny. It is not the ships that are polluting the area," he said.
The beaches of Goa usually witness thick tar balls surfacing in May, June or July every year and it continues till September.
The state government had in the past blamed the ships for washing their oil in the sea, causing pollution at the shore.
