India's biggest-ever oil spill - the result of a collision between two Panamanian fuel tankers, just five nautical miles off the Mumbai Port, has released 879 metric tonnes of oil, wreaking havoc on marine and coastal wildlife off the coast of Mumbai. 

Within two days of the collision, the Maharashtra government had sprayed chemical dispersants to contain the spill, and were hoping the oil does not reach the coasts.However, end-to-end clean-up operations are expected to take almost a month. 

So far, almost 100 sq.km of area has been affected. 70 sq. kms of this area is coastal ecologically sensitive mangroves. Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, who visited the site of the oil spill on 14th August, said the effects on the mangroves in particular, were 'quite tangible', and that the next step would be to ensure that the 'polluter must pay' for the disaster. 

The slick was clearly visible from Colaba, Uran, Mandwa and Rewas. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has asked for a detailed report on the oil spill from the shipping ministry, while the state government, in the mean time, has called in foreign experts to contain the damage. 

NEERI is to conduct a detailed environment impact assessment of the spill for the Ministry of Environment and Forests, while TERI will carry out bio-remediation on the coastline, and BNHS will carry out a mangrove survey in the coming months.