The pipeline had been planned to avoid any possible hazards in transporting ATF in oil tankers from the Noonmati-based Guwahati Refinery to Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (LGBIA) and defence installations through busy city roads. IOC officials said that the Guwahati Refinery produces about 5,000 tonnes of ATF, the majority of which is supplied to the LGBIA. Some portion of ATF is also supplied to Tripura. While recommending the project in December last year, however, the NBWL had laid down a number of stipulations to ensure environmental safety, since the pipeline passes close to a biodiversity-rich wetland, which is also a wildlife sanctuary.
Among these stipulations, the IOC was asked to put valves in the pipeline, at the entry and exit points of the eco-sensitive zone of the sanctuary, in order to prevent oil inflow in case of any accidents. The NBWL further requested the availability of oil soaking pads at the pipeline sites to deal with oil leakage and emergency situations, and disapproved the construction of any permanent structures over places where the pipeline passes through elephant corridors. "The pipeline preferably should be laid minimum 1.5 m. below the ground. Due precautionary measures should be taken to prevent any form of pollution in the wetland as well as its adjoining areas," an NBWL representative said to the Times of India.
Now, the NBWL has insisted that forest officials be empowered not only to carry out inspections, but also to collect samples for analysis and seek any information related to the pipeline. In a similar project, the NBWL has also approved the setting up of Oil India Limited's proposed pipeline, for supplying crude oil and gas, near the boundary of the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and Borjan-Bherjan Padumani Wildlife Sanctuary in the Tinsukia district of upper Assam. The project proposes to use 114.267 ha. of non-forest land within 10 km. of both park boundaries. Though the NBWL's attempts to ensure the project is environmentally secure are admirable, one cannot help but wonder, is the risk worth it?
Source: Sanctuary Asia.
