New Delhi: Two days after a minor crude oil spill was reported at the seashore near Pirwadi beach of Uran in Navi Mumbai, oil major Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) said that no damage has been caused to either farmers or fishermen due to the oil spill. Recounting the oil spill, ONGC said in a statement on September 10, “In the morning hours of 08 September 2023, a minor quantity of oil leaked from one of the crude oil storage tanks at ONGC Uran Plant. Due to heavy rains, the leaked oil entered the stormwater drain channel. As the quantity of oil leakage from the plant area was minimal, the leaked oil got trapped between rocks on the beach with only traces reaching the shoreline.”
Immediately, the Oil Spill Response (OSR) team from ONGC was deployed to avoid the ingress of oil into the sea and the cleaning of the shoreline commenced on war footing, said ONGC in the statement. “Due to heavy rains on the day of the incident and the beach being a rocky area, the cleaning took a lot of effort. Due to the ONGC team’s timely and tireless efforts, the oil did not enter the sea and no damage to marine life is anticipated,” said the company.
“Further, local villagers had taken an unauthorised water connection to their fields by breaching the storm-water drain channel wall from the plant for irrigation purposes. Due to this breach, a small quantity of oil entered four-five paddy fields. The damage to paddy fields is also very limited,” the statement said.
“None of the fishermen have suffered any loss due to the small oil spill, as it on the rocky part of the beach. Prompt and proactive actions by ONGC for cleaning of oil from the beach and drain channels has led to an early restoration, which is now nearing completion,” said ONGC.
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