Oil’s crude touch in Gujarat

Oil wells fitted with pumping devices are a common sight in Mehsana district, north of Ahmedabad. For the state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) the district is the most prized onshore oil asset in India, producing about 40,000 barrels crude oil a day. But for farmers the wells spell ruin.

The sludge and dirty water that the wells spurt at the time of drilling find their way into adjoining farms. The old underground pipelines that carry oil from the wells to storage stations leak oil into the fields, destroying crops.

Sludge ponds

Pools of oil, grease and water can be seen in ONGC’s Viraj oil fields in Kadi taluka. In August this year, leaked oil from a pipeline spread to 46 hectares in Jaidevpura village after monsoons, said Sukhdev Patel, a farmer. When people complained, they covered the sludge with sand. “Nothing grows where the oil spills; standing crops die instantly. The committee ONGC has formed to survey the contamination and take corrective measures is yet to visit,” said Dalsukh Hirabhai Venkat, a farm worker.