Committee constituted to investigate oil spillage
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, January 11 2024: In response to the spillage of heavy fuel into the Leimakhong River on Wednesday night, the state government has taken swift action by forming an enquiry committee led by ADGP (Intelligence) Ashutosh Sinha.

The incident, which caused concern among residents of Leimakhong and other parts of Imphal, prompted immediate intervention from various government departments and agencies.

The spillage was detected in the streams in and around Leimakhong areas of Imphal West district on Thursday evening.

The news quickly circulated on social media platforms, leading to panic among the local population.

The departments of power, water resources, environment, relief & disaster, alongjvith police teams arid district administration, initiated immediate measures with the assistance of local residents; ministers, and MLAs.

As an initial response, the stream was diverted, and the main course of the waterway blocked at Kantosabal to prevent the spread of heavy fuel into the public water supply system.

The diverted flow was directed to a nearby dug-out field.

The Department of Public Health Engineering (PHED) is collaborating with technical teams from IIT Guwahati, Manipur University, and NIT Manipur to assess any potential contamination of water from the streams.

Preliminary reports from the PHED indicate no damage to the potable water supply system, and the water quality is deemed safe.

Additional water samples are being collected for a detailed assessment by IIT Guwahati while an expert team from the IIT is scheduled to visit Imphal for further investigation.

To ensure the supply of potable water to the residents of Leimakhong area, PHED has initiated interim measures, including the provision of potable water through bore tube-wells and tanker.

A committee, comprising members from various departments including agriculture, environment & climate change, water resources, power, veterinary & animal husbandry, and fisheries, is being constituted by PHED to monitor and ensure the availability of safe drinking water.

The state government urged the public not to use raw water from the stream between Leimakhong to Lamdeng until water testing reports confirm safety.

Citizens are also requested to cooperate by promptly reporting any signs of affecting aquatic life and animals.

In the affected areas, water supply schemes located near the streams have been temporarily closed by PHED, and they will only be reopened till testing results confirm safety.

Helpline numbers (8794006422/7085922914) have been provided for residents to avail the free facility of tankers for potable water.

An FIR has been registered, and the affected area is under complete sealing with adequate security forces.

An expert investigation team, led by ADGP (Intelligence) Ashutosh Sinha, has been constituted to ascertain the cause of the incident.

Other team members include Commissioner (power) Shailesh Kumar Chourasia and additional secretary (home) M Pradip.

The committee will inquire into the cause of the incident of leakage including circumstances leading to it, contributing factors that led to such incident, and suggest immediate and long term measures for safety and security of the power plant.

The Committee shall submit its report to the government within 15 days and the same is empowered to co-opt members as and when it thinks appropriate.

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