Fire erupts on Brahmaputra tributary due to oil leakage, gets

A massive fire that had erupted on a tributary of Brahmaputra river due to oil leakage from pipelines got doused on its own on Monday, an official said.

Crude oil pipelines of the Oil India Limited (OIL) got ruptured due to a mechanical issue at the Central Tank Farm (CTF), causing spillage on Burhidihing river in Assam's Dibrugarh district on Sunday, he said.

"It appears that some miscreants had set fire to the oil floating on the river. There have been no casualties and the blaze got doused on its own. The situation is under control," the official said.

A team, comprising Tengakhat circle officer, officials of the state Pollution Control Board and Fishery Department and experts from the OIL, is accessing any possible damage to the environment due to the incident, he said, adding that necessary actions will be taken.

An official of the OIL said there was a sudden closure of remote-operated shut off valves and motor operator valves of inlets and outlets of all the crude storage tanks on January 1 at the company's field headquarters in Duliajan.

"Consequently, there was a pressure build-up in the incoming lines to the tanks and it was observed that leaks had developed at five points within the periphery of the CTF.

"Leaks had also developed at two points in the incoming crude oil delivery line of one of the field installation near Duliajan. Immediate action was taken to rectify the leakages and restoration works were undertaken," he said.

OIL has also initiated actions to recover and clean the crude oil from the affected site, the official said.

"An enquiry committee has been set up to find out the underlying root causes of the incident and suggest remedial measures. Presently, normal operations have resumed and all leakages have been rectified and crude oil is being received from installations at CTF, Duliajan," he added.