Oil leakage triggers panic in Jokatte

Outflow of oil and waste in a stream near the phase III plant of Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) triggered panic among residents of Jokatte on the outskirts of the city on Wednesday morning.

B.S. Hussain from the Jokatte Nagarika Horata Samiti said the discharge had started late on Tuesday night, and continued through Wednesday morning. “The stream, which emerges at MRPL, has a small check dam where the oil has accumulated. This eventually leads to the Gurupura,” he said.

The organisation, which has been conducting protests against the company for their alleged pollution of the area, has collected samples.

“While no one uses the water from the stream, it does flow close to people’s houses. We fear the groundwater – from where our wells draw water – will be contaminated,” said Mr. Hussain.

Spillage

While dismissing claims of “wilful dumping of waste” in the stream, an MRPL spokesperson said a malfunctioning in the pumps had led to a “small” leakage from the pipes.

“Underneath the stream is a network of pipes that pump up the waste to the effluent treatment plant. A component in the pipes has malfunctioned causing a minor leakage from the pipe…since oil spreads over water, even a small leakage will seem like a big spill,” he said. The leakage had been fixed and the discharge would not harm the residents’ health, he added.