Pipeline carrying pollutants breaches again in Bharuch

A breach developed near Samli village of Bharuch district in the pipeline of the Bharuch Eco Aqua Infrastructure Limited,which carries industrial pollutants to the final effluent treatment plant at Umarwada near Ankleshwar.

A breach developed near Samli village of Bharuch district in the pipeline of the Bharuch Eco Aqua Infrastructure Limited (BEAIL),which carries industrial pollutants to the final effluent treatment plant at Umarwada near Ankleshwar.

BEAIL officials said the breach developed because of power failure that led to high pressure in the 55-km pipeline. Repair work began on Saturday afternoon and the pipeline would be functional by Sunday evening,they claimed.

Villagers and environmentalists,meanwhile,have alleged frequent breaches that damage crops and soil fertility in several villages.

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Rohit Prajapati of NGO Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti claimed at least 13 breaches have been reported in the same line in the past three years.

The pipeline is not following the guidelines set by the Gujarat Pollution Control Board. For the same reason,the Central Pollution Control Board has even pulled up the BEAIL and GPCB. Affected farmers are not even given proper compensation, he said.

Meanwhile,the BEAIL officials maintained most of the breaches in the line were because of power failure.

The pollutants are discharged into deep sea through the 55-km long pipeline of 800 mm diameter through high-pressure pumps. We had written to Dakshin Gujarat Vij Company Limited over frequent power failures. They had started a separate feeder for us but the situation still remains same. The pipeline would be operational by Sunday evening. As far as production is concerned,there are guidelines by the GPCB to have a back-up system for three days in case of such an emergency, K R Desai,BEAIL chief executive officer,said.

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