Oil spill: Show-cause notice to ONGC

Our Bureau Updated - October 10, 2013 at 10:18 PM.

The Ministry of Environment & Forests has issued a show-cause notice to ONGC on the oil spill in the west coast near Mumbai.

While ordering immediate closure of the faulty pipeline/installations, the Ministry has also constituted a team headed by Member Secretary, Central Pollution Control Board, J.S. Kamyotra, and has asked to submit its report by October 14.

There were leakages from pipelines in ONGC’s installation off the Uran Coast on Sunday. An ONGC official said action was taken immediately and the leakages were capped. “There is no major production or financial loss,” the official told

Business Line . The loss of fuel, according to reports, would be about 5,000 litres, but the ONGC official put it close to 1,000 litres.

The official said there were some oil spots (around 500 metres) at the coast, but the sea was clean. The company is expected to clean the spots in the next five days.

ONGC officials maintained that the spill had not affected the local fisherman and there were no ecological concerns either.

Asked when the Committee would visit the site, the official said it could be any day. Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board officials have already visited the site.

The Uran processing plant of ONGC is fed by the Mumbai High fields and has crude oil processing capacity of 20 million tonnes annually and gas processing capacity of 11.5 mmscmd.

>richa.mishra@thehindu.co.in

Published on October 10, 2013 09:21