Recently the fire and emergency services sealed a well at Dabolim after it was found contaminated with petroleum products. Six more wells besides a spring, a borewell and paddy fields too have been affected by the contamination.
The accident happened due to leakage in a poorly maintained petroleum pipeline passing under a hillock from the storage facilities.
To cool down the situation a sniffer dog from Punjab was brought by the oil company but it failed to detect the source of leakage in the buried pipeline that passes @ 800 meters from the village.
It is laughable to know that in this age of technology we are relying on animals to detect leakages. People living in the vicinity of the contaminated wells have been advised not to cook or light any fire to avert a greater tragedy.
This begs the question, why has no accountability been fixed till date and why are large companies being allowed to go scot free after destroying the environment.
Severe penalties must be imposed on the company, also it should be asked to compensate for the environmental damage caused and the resultant loss of livelihood.
