Assam: Digboi refinery reservoir breach imminent, residents in peril
Digboi: Fear and uncertainty gripped the residents of Digboi in Eastern Assam's Tinsukia district on Friday as a massive reservoir of Digboi refinery showed signs of instability.
The reservoir, located on Shillong Road, began discharging water following a landslide that created an outlet in its concrete wall.
Authorities, including officials from the Margherita civil administration and Indian Oil Digboi, responded to the situation. SDO (Civil) Margherita, Parikshit Thoudam, assured the public that the situation was under control but urged residents in the vicinity to remain vigilant.
“The incessant rain has caused the reservoir to overflow. We have deployed security personnel, the Digboi Municipal Board, and the NDRF to prevent a major disaster. We are taking all necessary precautions,” Thoudam said.
However, local residents expressed deep concern, recalling a similar incident in the 1990s that caused significant damage. Innam-Udin, a ward member, criticized the lack of maintenance of the British-era reservoir of the Refinery.
The incident comes on the heels of two other recent disasters in the Digboi refinery campus. On June 28, a gas cylinder explosion at the refinery was narrowly averted, while a massive crude oil spill on Tuesday contaminated residential areas, causing widespread damage to property and the environment.
Residents affected by the oil spill are furious with the AOD management for its repeated failures to address the issue of refinery seepage.
Basant Pradhan, a resident of RS area, said, "The AOD has been negligent for decades. We have suffered immensely due to their carelessness."
The series of incidents has raised serious questions about the safety standards and maintenance practices at the century-old Digboi refinery.
Obsolete technology, inadequate safety measures, and poor maintenance of hazardous units have been blamed for the recurring incidents.