The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has given the State-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) the go-ahead to drill 35 exploratory wells in the Cauvery basin by amending the existing environmental clearance.
Holding the view that conducting public hearings has consumed significant amount of time and as the matter was still pending with the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, the MoEF’s expert appraisal committee recommended the ONGC’s proposal for 35 wells.
The ONGC, through a letter on May 19, requested the MoEF for exemption of four public hearings already conducted in the districts of Ariyalur, Nagapattinam, Thanjavur and Tiruvarur. In Cuddalore, the public hearing is scheduled for July 8.
All the projects are related to offshore and onshore oil and gas exploration, development and production. The ONGC proposes drilling of the wells with target depths of around 3,000–5,000 m/basement. The cost of the project is Rs 700 crore.
As the public hearings were conducted in the second half of last year and as all of them were pending before the TNPCB, the ONGC approached the MoEF. Of the 35 proposed wells, 14 fall in Cuddalore district, nine in Nagapattinam, six in Ariyalur, five in Thanjavur and one in Tiruvarur.
The project proponent reported that there was no wildlife sanctuary, national park or eco-sensitive area in the proposed exploratory area of the block. There was no forest land in the block either, submitted the project proponent. It promised to adopt zero-effluent discharge. In the event of the well turning unsuccessful, it would be cement-plugged.
Used oil would be sold to authorised recyclers. It also promised to install blowout preventers to control fluid from the formation gushing to the surface.
Farmers’ complaint
However, delta farmers have often complained that the oil due to drilling surfaces and damages the land for which the compensation package was meagre. In fact, activists like Medha Patkar visited the affected fields and expressed solidarity with the farmers.
