It’s been over two weeks since fuel was detected in a well at Matvem Dabolim. Authorities, however, continue to grapple with the situation unable to pinpoint the faults in the pipeline, even as Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, in an attempt to calm the situation, mentioned that the leakage is identified. On Saturday, an official of the Zuari Indian Oil Adani Ventures Limited (ZIOAVL) stated that efforts were still on to track the source of leakage and that an agency from Malaysia was being roped in to test the entire 14-kilometre pipeline.
Saturday’s development confirmed that all is still not well at Matvem and surrounding areas, and the experiment with Urus, the Belgian Malinois sniffer dog who was flown in from Punjab, failed. With no visible solution, the developments reinforce fears that parts of Vasco, Chicalim and Sancoale, through which the 14-kilometre line passes, are indeed sitting on a ticking time bomb.
Traces of petroleum were found in a few wells, streams, nullahs and even the adjoining paddy fields at Matvem. Sawant, while citing the provisional report, raised apprehensions over the pipeline saying it had outlived its life, and added that ZIOAVL has agreed to change the pipeline. The question here is, why would the company rope in an agency from Malaysia if they intend to change the pipeline?
The fuel leak has, no doubt, exposed the disastrous functioning of the disaster management authority which was not only unprepared to face a fuel leak, but had no clue how to go about securing the place against a possible escalation. The lethargy and the stone-age protocols followed at the site amplified the fact that the State does not have the logistics and trained manpower to handle fuel-related incidents.
The uncertainty is worrisome because ZIOAVL has not been able to meter a significant fuel loss along the 14 km, fuelling a thought that there could be smaller leakages that have contaminated groundwater over a considerable period. If these are "organic minor leakages" then we have a major problem at hand. Also, the contaminated well is not very close to the underground pipeline, another indicator of groundwater in the entire area being contaminated.
Sawant has reassured people that the well water cleansing will happen soon, but there is no word about the condition of the groundwater in the area. The provisional report is kept under wraps, and there is very little that the government or ZIOAVL have spoken except for saying "efforts are on".
Wells could be emptied of water, but cleansing of groundwater could take years and involve high costs. The question is who initiates this exercise, and who pays for it. The State government appears to be tackling this issue with kids' gloves despite the serious impact it could have on residents. Since the pipeline is old and prone to cracks, ZIOAVL must be told to immediately replace the pipeline and not undertake piecemeal repairs. Also, necessary action has to be initiated against ZIOAVL for causing an environmental hazard and endangering the lives of people.
While Har Ghar Jal continues to be the government's mantra, Goa's natural resources must be protected at all costs, and the State cannot sacrifice these assets at the altar of commercialisation.
