Petroleum spill site identified at Wallace Junction

VASCO: After 15 days of arduous efforts, Zuari Indian Oil Adani Ventures Limited (ZIAVL) on Tuesday detected the leakage point of the oleoduct which caused pollution in wells and fields at Matvem, Dabolim.

The company’s contractors, who were excavating the area around the oleoduct, found an escape route near Wallace Crossing on the roadside, bringing a sigh of relief to the company employees and villagers.

In a statement to reporters, ZIAVL Executive Director (CEO) Sriprasad Nayak said: “We get help from the disabled persons who helped us. We employ a dog tracker brought from Punjab and make do with supplies provided by these agencies. Today when we excavate the area between MES Junction and Vishal Mega Mart we will be able to identify the escape point.

“We all had doubts and that’s why we dug deeper. Note that there was a hole in the pipe. “The oleoduct is 22 years old and is getting holes due to natural erosion,” Nayak said.

ZIAVL Director General said that the company is conducting periodic inspections and the next inspection is scheduled for December this year.

Even an agency from Germany will visit the company, he said, adding that they will now decide the next course of action based on the inputs provided by the company, i.e. whether to repair the pipe or replace it. He said that officials of a Malaysian company will also reach the state and inspect the oleoduct.

The ZIAVL executive director said they had alerted the state administration team and Mormugao assistant collector, Mormugao mamlatdar and other officials of the department visited the place to gather information.

Nayak said that now the oleoduct will be repaired and restarted. “Only after the Malaysian team studies the entire oleoduct, we will inform when we can start the oleoduct. Renovation of the oleoduct is subject to the approval of the Collector District”, the company official said.

Panic spread among residents of Matvem-Dabolim as water from domestic wells, rice fields and other water bodies was contaminated by a leak in the 14-kilometre long oil pipeline.

Due to this, pumping operations of petrol companies were suspended and they were forced to get petrol through tank trucks by road from Maharashtra and Karnataka.