Crude flows into samba paddy field as ONGC pipe develops leak at Erukkattur village in TN

TIRUVARUR: After an ONGC pipeline carrying crude petroleum oil developed a leak, the oil flowed into the samba paddy field of a farmer at Erukkattur village near Tiruvarur.

According to sources Dhanasekaran, a farmer from Erukkattur village near Tiruvarur taluk had cultivated samba paddy in five acres of land in the village. On Tuesday night when Dhanasekaran went to his field to irrigate his samba paddy, he was shocked to see crude oil spreading in one acre of his field with a young samba paddy crop.

He surmised that the spread was due to the crude oil leak from the pipes laid down underneath the field for transporting the crude oil explored by ONGC at the Kamalapuram oil well. He immediately contacted the revenue and ONGC officials. Following this on Wednesday the officials of ONGC arrived at the spot and started removing the oil.

The farmer Dhanasekaran sought compensation from the ONGC. When contacted A P Rajasekaran, corporate communications in charge of Cauvery Asset, ONGC Karaikal told TNIE that a pinhole leakage had developed in one of the pipes taking crude oil from Kamalapuram oil well to the Early Production System (EPS), Kamalapuram.

Once the leakage was identified, the valve through which the oil is sent to the pipe was closed and the leakage in the pipe would be set right soon, he said. He further added the officials of the Land acquisition department of the ONGC would inspect the spot and based on their survey the compensation would be calculated and will be paid to the farmer.