Assam: Oil leakage from ONGC pipeline spills into vast swathes of farmland in Sivasagar
Nazira sub-divisional officer (SDO), Sabyasachi Kashyap, said that the leakage was first spotted by farmers on Thursday evening, and was brought to the notice of the administration on Friday.
By Avik Chakraborty
DIBRUGARH:
Crude oil leakage from an underground pipeline of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation(ONGC) damaged approximately 20 bighas of agricultural land at Nazira in the Sivasagar district on Friday.
Following the leak, technical teams from the ONGC Nazira office rushed to the spot to locate and plug the leak.
According to sources, massive quantity of crude oil has already spilled due to the leak, damaging farmlands and natural resources.
Nazira sub-divisional officer (SDO), Sabyasachi Kashyap, said that the leakage was first spotted by farmers on Thursday evening, and was brought to the notice of the administration on Friday.
"We were informed about the oil leakage at around 10.30 am. Immediately we contacted the ONGC office and asked them to stop the supply of crude oil through the pipeline. But large quantity of crude oil had gushed out and spilled into the surrounding paddy fields already," said Kashyap.
"The pipeline passes through 1,000-bigha field, of which 20 bighas have been affected. A thick and blackish layer of oil has covered the paddy fields. We have been told that the pipeline was quite old. The leak may have happened due to regular wear and tear of the pipeline, but we are not ruling out possible sabotage by oil thieves," Kashyap added.
He further said that officials of the revenue and irrigation departments assessed the damage and loss to the farmers. The compensation amount will be borne by the ONGC.
Meanwhile, locals in the area fear that the oil spill is likely to have an adverse impact on the flora and fauna of the area, besides damaging the soil.
Since this is the farming season, farmers will have to face the brunt of the leakage. We have seen the consequences of the Tinsukia Baghjan oil field fire, and we do not want a repetition of it here, a local said while highlighting the damage.
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