A major disaster appears to have been averted in the port town of Paradip on Friday after senior officials of Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) and others successfully plugged a damaged petrol oil pipeline near gate number one of the port.
According to RK Sahoo, an IOCL official, the petrol was being transported through a pipeline from the oil jetty near Nehru bungalow to the oil terminal near Bauripalanda village when the leakage was detected. As soon as the leakage was spotted, the IOCL maintenance team present at the site immediately swung into action to arrest the leak. Furthermore, the spilled furnace oil was salvaged using the Mobile Oil Spill Recovery Unit (MOSRU) prior to cleaning the area. The pipeline was continuously monitored on Friday to identify any further leakages throughout the jetty line. No additional leakages were found at any other location.
Despite averting a major catastrophe, the incident has renewed concerns over the safety of the oil pipeline and its potential impact on the environment, said Sudhanshu Parida, an environmentalist and secretary of the district unit of Peoples for Animal. The event underscores the need for stringent monitoring and maintenance of such critical infrastructure to prevent future incidents.
About the Author: Ashis Senapati, a seasoned journalist with the Times of India, reports from Kendrapada, Odisha. Covering crime, social issues, and local events in Jajpur, Jagatsinghpur, and Kendrapada districts, his impactful stories, including human-animal conflicts and legal developments, reflect deep community insight, earning recognition for highlighting critical regional concerns.
