Thiruvananthapuram: About 2,000 litres of furnace oil from the state-run Travancore Titanium Products (TTP) here leaked into the sea on Wednesday over a one km stretch but was contained within half-an-hour and the cleaning operation underway, company officials said.

Local fishermen first spotted the leak from the pumping line to the boiler, which had spread from Veli to Shangumugham area and alerted TTP officials and the authorities concerned. TTP is a pioneer manufacturer and distributor of Titanium dioxide. District Collector Navjot Khosa visited the company and the adjacent beach, inspected the site. She said the district authority, in consultation with the Kerala State Pollution Control Board, has initiated the process of removing the polluted sand from the beach.

She said the KSPCB will assess the damage caused to the fishermen and nature and decide the compensation to be given. Congress MLA V S Sivakumar who visited the area alleged that the fishermen would not be able to put out to sea for at least a month as the area has been polluted.

"Since the leak was near the drain, it spread to the sea along the coast for nearly one km. The cleaning process has begun. The work is being done with the help of the locals and it is expected to be completed by this evening. We will resume the work only after replacing the faulty line," TTP Managing Director George Ninan.

Travancore Titanium Products is a pioneer manufacturer and distributor of titanium-dioxide anatase grade pigment.

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