Thiruvananthapuram: The millions of plastic pellets that began to wash ashore along the state's southern coast two days ago from the sunken cargo ship MSC Elsa 3 can cause long-term pollution as authorities failed to act quickly to contain the spill.The authorities have so far focussed on containing the oil leak and recovering containers, most of them empty, that drifted ashore. Nine empty containers were recovered from the sea along the Thiruvananthapuram coast. Strong waves and monsoon winds broke open the sacks, scattering the pellets in the sea and along the coast at Vizhinjam, Thumba, Shangumugham and other areas.Sources said the authorities should have assessed the contents in the containers of the sunken ship and should have tried to contain the spread to the shore.

The pellets, made of PET plastic, are not toxic but non-biodegradable.On Wednesday, the corporation's sweepers attempted to clear the pellets from Shangumugham's coastal road but made no effort to address the accumulation on the beach. By Thursday, volunteers from Harita Karma Sena resorted to scooping up pellets mixed with sand, filling buckets and sacks. Meanwhile, authorities have shown no clear strategy for removing the pellets still floating at sea.

Fishermen say the presence of sea walls, which trap the pellets, makes comprehensive removal nearly impossible.A Biju Kumar, head of the department of Aquatic Biology, Kerala University, said the plastic pellets may cause long-term pollution. "Only a small portion seems to have come to the shore; all kinds of fish can consume them. The solution is to monitor the fish and look for chemical presence in the long term." Steps are being taken to clear them, but it is a challenge, he added.Robert Panipilla of Friends of Marine Life (FML) said the pellets look like eggs of squid and fishes are likely to eat them. "Pellets are floating in the water now. The longer they remain in the water, biomass will form on them, and they can sink due to their weight. Fish can think it is food." In other countries, floating barriers or booms would be deployed to contain such materials, he said.As no major oil spill has occurred and no slick has been found near shore, the state govt has declared that fish remains safe to eat. Heavy rain and strong waves have affected pollution containment measures, even as the govt is planning to survey the after-effects of the shipwreck.