Andhra Pradesh - Eluru   

‘No subsidence due to drilling in Krishna-Godavari basin’

ELURU: The five-member sub-committee constituted by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests to go into the environmental impact of oil and gas exploration in the Krishna-Godavari basin has concluded that there were no direct evidences available to it for land subsidence in the gas field or in the adjoining areas in the delta on account of drilling operations.

The committee headed by R.K. Garg made public its findings after a preliminary visit in the onshore and offshore drilling sites in East Godavari district, including Yetimeraka, Updaguptam and N. Kothapeta villages near Amalapuram, for two days in October last. The sub-committee was constituted in line with a direction from the High Court in response to a petition filed by the Krishna Godavari Delta Parirakshana Samithi.

The samithi in the petition expressed serious apprehensions over the safety of the delta due to land subsidence and water salinity in view of the drilling operations. “From the geological considerations also, this region (K-G basin) does not appear to be prone to significant land subsidence”, the sub committee observed. It, however, favoured a detailed study on the issue by Indian School of Mining.

One of the petitioners, Krishna Rao, who retired as a professor in geology, told the members of the sub-committee about some of the hand pumps becoming saline in the three villages during the visit.

The report prepared by the committee said, “The problem of underground water getting saline in some locations has been observed.” Without attributing salinity to drilling operations, it mooted a detailed survey on the issue.

“Some studies have suggested that extensive aquaculture in the region could be a factor.”

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