Drinking water supply in Agartala after ONGC Waste Leaks was stalled

Agartala, May 17: ONGC drilling waste has taken place in the crucial river after drinking water supply to millions of people in Tripura. "Drilling waste from chemicals and oils from ONGC's abandoned drilling site at Mangai (Baramura Hill Ranges) is leaving the Howrah River on Tuesday. "We have closed down four major water purification plants and drinking water to prevent drinking water from drinking water in the surrounding areas of Agartala Municipal Corporation and its surrounding areas," said Chief Water and Sanitation Chief Engineer Bishu Debbarma.

He said that the engineers of the Water Supply Department and West district administration officials are testing the water at a regular interval and working round-the-clock to stop the spillover. "We expect that the situation would be normal by tonight (Wednesday) or early tomorrow (Thursday). We have also asked the ONGC to take suitable measures to prevent the spillover of drilling waste," Debbarma said. The four major water treatment plants, that draw in supply from the Howrah river, cater drinking water to at least six lakh people in Agartala Municipal Corporation, adjoining Ranirbazar Municipal Council and Jirania Nagar Panchayat Areas.

Water Resources and Sanitation Minister Ratan Bhowmik, District Magistrate Milind Ramteke, engineers of various departments camping the affected areas and supervising the remedial works. An Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) spokesperson said that the company finished their drilling works at Mandai in Baramura Hill Ranges around a week ago and maintaining the standard scientific practice, did "effluent treatment" by finally covering the waste by high quality plastic sheets.

"To remove waste materials, local people cut plastic plates, killing them on drilling waste in nearby Howrah River, a recent rain situation may further deteriorate," a spokeswoman said. Meanwhile, other Tripura rivers flow into Bangladesh, such as Howrah, Bangladesh Assistant High Commission officials here are monitoring their government's information and situation. "We have informed that water resources in Dhaka should be taken to supply oil and oil to the Howrah River," Assistant High Commissioner Mohammad Shakhvat Hussain said.