Thiruvananthapuram: In the wake of the maritime disaster off the Thottappally coast, where a sunken ship's cargo of chemical containers and plastic pellets washed ashore, the state govt has swung into scientific action.

District collectors across affected coastal regions are now under clear and rigorous directives, thanks to standard operating protocols issued by the Kerala State Pollution Control Board and the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority. These guidelines draw from international best practices, including those of the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited, the American Public Health Association, and the Central Pollution Control Board.What is unfolding is not merely a clean-up operation but a data-driven, scientifically meticulous response designed to assess long-term ecological risks and ensure evidence-based decision-making. At the heart of the operation lies robust sample collection and preservation—a non-negotiable first step to understanding the extent of chemical infiltration in the sea, sand, and sediment. Authorities are focusing on two critical domains: water quality and soil or sediment contamination.

Marine water samples are to be collected up to five kilometres from the shore and tested for parameters like pH, dissolved oxygen, alkalinity, hydrocarbons, and total suspended solids. For beach sand and seabed sediment, the list becomes more troubling, as tests look for lead, mercury, cadmium, volatile organic compounds, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Sampling sites—ranging from intertidal zones to estuary mouths—are being geotagged, creating a spatial map of contamination that can be monitored over time.

Temperature-sensitive parameters like pH and dissolved gases must be analysed either on-site or immediately after collection. All samples must be preserved in ice boxes and transported under controlled conditions to prevent degradation.This level of scientific rigour extends to the shoreline, where a new kind of threat is emerging: plastic pellets, also known as nurdles. These are pre-production plastics used in manufacturing.

Though they may seem innocuous, they are environmentally insidious. One of the ship's containers is believed to have carried large volumes of these pellets, and now, they are turning up across Kerala's beaches.Authorities have initiated both semi-quantitative and fully quantitative shoreline surveys—methodologies refined in the aftermath of the X-Press Pearl disaster in Sri Lanka. Pellets are being collected through two main techniques: hand-collection over a timed period and quadrat-based screening, where a defined square section of beach is sampled for density.

At various tidal lines, the number and weight of pellets are measured to assign a pollution level—from very low (fewer than 25 pieces or 5 grams) to very high (more than 150 pieces or 30 grams).

This process results in a Plastic Pollution Index for each beach, guiding clean-up priorities and helping determine which ecosystems might recover on their own.Complicating the response is the fact that not all plastics are the same.

If these pellets absorbed toxic chemicals or were partially burned in the ship fire, they may have become hazardous waste. That distinction changes everything—from the level of personal protective equipment required to the regulations surrounding transportation and final disposal.Protocols recommend that characterisation studies be undertaken to determine the physical and chemical properties of the pellets.

If uncertainty persists, authorities may deploy thermal fingerprinting technologies like pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to trace the pellets' source and assess whether they underwent chemical transformation after the incident. Any delay in classifying this material as hazardous could hinder clean-up operations, increase public health risks, and leave collected debris in bureaucratic limbo.Another key takeaway from the newly issued protocols is what's missing: baseline environmental data. Without a clear understanding of what pollution levels looked like before the spill, it's difficult to calculate the full extent of the damage. Experts are calling for routine monitoring of microplastics and toxic pollutants along Kerala's entire coastline to ensure future incidents can be measured against reliable benchmarks.

"Imagine if we had a real-time pollution index, like the air quality meters we use in cities—but for the sea. That's the future we need to build toward," said a member of the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority.For now, while public attention may remain focused on the visible aspects of the disaster—workers in hazmat suits combing the sand—the real work is happening out of sight. In laboratories, data centres, and command rooms, a broader environmental response is taking shape. The aim is not just to return the beaches to their pre-disaster condition, but to set up a long-term framework that ensures the next spill won't become the next catastrophe.