Due to spillage of crude oil following leakage, a major fire erupted on river Burhidihing, a tributary of river Brahmaputra at Duliajan in Dibrugarh district of Upper Assam.
However, the fire doused on its own without casualties, the Oil India Limited (OIL) informed.
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The OIL said January 28, 2020, at around 10:30 am, an incident took place at the Central Tank Farm (CTF) located in OIL’s Field Headquarters in Duliajan.
“There was sudden closure of remote operated shut off valves & motor operator valves of inlets and outlets of all the Crude Oil Storage Tanks,” the OIL said.
Consequently, there was pressure build up in the incoming lines to the tanks and it was observed that leaks developed at 5 points within the periphery of the CTF.
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“Leaks also developed at two points in the incoming crude oil delivery line of one of the field installation near Duliajan. Immediate action was taken up to rectify the leakages and restoration jobs were undertaken,” the OIL said in a statement.
Informing that actions were initiated to recover and clean the spilled crude oil in and around the affected site, it said: “An enquiry committee has been set up to find out the underlying root causes of the incident & suggest for remedial measures.”
Presently normal operations have resumed and all leakages have been rectified and crude oil is being received from installations at CTF, Duliajan, it further stated.
It may be noted that the spilled crude oil at one of the incoming crude oil delivery line which had raptured due to the incident in CTF, somehow managed to trickle into the nearby Buridihing river.
“It appears that some miscreants set fire to the oil floating on the river. Luckily there has been no casualty and the fire doused on its own,” it added.
The situation is absolutely under control now.
A joint team led by Circle Officer of Tengakhat Circle, Dibrugarh district, State Pollution Control Board, fishery department and experts from OIL is accessing any possible damage to the environment and necessary actions will be initiated on the basis of the observations of this expert committee, the OIL further said.