Heavy Fuel Leak From Power Station Into Streams In Manipur: How It Happened & What's The Impact

A power station in Imphal valley of Manipur had a heavy fuel leak, which spilled into streams flowing alongside it.

The incident happened on Wednesday night at the Leimakhong power station in Kangpokpi district. The affected streams go on to meet the Imphal river downstream, touted as the region's lifeline.

How did the fuel leak in Manipur happen?

"It is yet to be determined if miscreants were involved in this or if it was accidental," an official told PTI.

Representative image/ BCCL

Meanwhile, all resources are directed toward immediate control of the situation and preventing further damage to the environment and well-being of the affected communities.

What is being done to contain the oil spill in Manipur?

Heavy machinery was deployed to divert the flow of the water in the affected streams towards fields, an official told PTI.

The Chief Minister's Office (CMO) also directed the departments concerned to take "immediate necessary action to prevent an environment calamity, making use of all available resources in terms of machinery, manpower and expertise".

Manipur fuel leak: How the locals are impacted

The oil spill into streams impacted villages such as Kanto Sabal and Sekmai through which the streams flow.

The locals expressed distress since they depend on the water of the streams for their daily chores.

"Not just aquatic life but also the communities that depend on the water have been severely threatened by this spill," said Nongmai, a resident of Kanto Sabal.

Manipur ethnic crisis continues, 8 months later

Meanwhile, ethnic violence continues in Manipur. Recently, a fresh bout of violence in Manipur's Bishnupur district led to four men going missing from the area.

PTI

The Manipur violence, which began on May 3, can be boiled down to differences between Manipur's ethnic groups, Meitei and the Kuki-Zo. So far, the ethnic clashes have claimed over 180 lives while over 10,000 army and para-military personnel had to be deployed to bring back normalcy in the northeastern state.

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