How have waste and oil spills harmed Indian Ocean marine ecosystems?

Human activity has significantly degraded the Indian Ocean through the accumulation of waste and the impacts of oil pollution.

Waste Accumulation

Increased urbanization and industrialization along the coast have led to large quantities of domestic and industrial waste accumulating in nearshore waters, a condition particularly evident in India. Furthermore, the Indian Ocean contains a subtropical gyre where floating plastic waste gathers. This pollution poses a severe threat to marine life, as animals often ingest plastic debris or become entangled in it, leading to injury or death.12

Oil Spills

The transport of crude oil across the Indian Ocean presents a persistent environmental risk. Oil spills—resulting from both routine tanker operations and occasional large-scale catastrophes—have deleterious effects on phytoplankton and zooplankton, which are essential components of the food chain supporting commercial fisheries. These spills are particularly concerning in areas where high biological productivity coincides with heavy shipping traffic, such as the Arabian Sea, the East African coast, and the approaches to the Strait of Malacca. Protecting these ecosystems is a moral imperative, as the long-term ecological damage from such pollution threatens biodiversity and the livelihoods of those dependent on the ocean.13