A crack in a pipeline of the Indian Oil Corporation has caused the death of hundreds of fishes in nearby water bodies, about 1.5 km from company's storage point at Paradip.
A two-member team of the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) rushed to the spot and assessed the damage caused by the leak.
Chief Manager (maintenance) of IOCL's refinery project at Paradip, N.K. Panda, said efforts were on to repair the crack. The refinery stopped pumping crude oil to contain the leak, Mr. Panda said over the phone from Paradip on Saturday.
IOCL pumps 1,750 kilolitres crude oil per hour and sends it through the pipeline to the refinery. About 40,000 kilolitres per hour is pumped at the IOCL's facility.
Situation under control
“The crude oil has spilled into the water of a nearby creek – Sansara. We have found fishes lying dead at several places,” said A.K. Chatterjee, regional officer of SPCB's Cuttack region. He said the situation was under control.
