Foul-smelling foam wash ashore near Rameswaram, fishermen fear chemical leak from shipwreck

According to Cinnathambi, coordinator of the traditional fishermen federation, the unusual foam and suspected pollutants are being washed along the shore over the last two days, in the Pamban-Gulf of Mannar region. 

Chennai: Fishermen in the Rameswaram region of Tamil Nadu’s Ramanathapuram district have reported foul-smelling foam and what appears to be polluted water along the coast. Foam and thick polluted mixtures on the surface of the water were seen in images and videos. Fishermen in the region suspect that it could be something to do with the X-Press Pearl shipping disaster that happened off the Sri Lanka coast in February. According to Cinnathambi, coordinator of the traditional fishermen federation, the unusual foam and suspected pollutants are being washed along the shore over the last two days, in the Pamban-Gulf of Mannar region. He added that such foam is spread almost 50-100 meters in the sea water and it spans a length of several kilometers along the coast. When asked if this was the usual foaming that occurs during the rough seas and monsoon, he told Zee Media that there were what appeared to be bits of plastic washing ashore. He said that the fishing community was in a state of fear over these suspected pollutants, which did not appear to be weather-related foaming.