Crude oil has been seeping from the soil for three days in Kau Kheda village in Barmer, near the Aishwarya oil field operated by Cairn Oil & Gas, a unit of Vedanta Limited, after a leak that began on Feb 23 near “Aishwarya Well Pad-08.” Company teams dug a trench and pit to channel and evacuate the liquid into tankers using vacuum suction, with reports of over 55 tankers being filled, while the source of the leak remains unidentified.The seepage began suddenly in the field of farmer Harjeeram Khoth and spread over nearly a bigha of land, local sources said. As a precaution, the company has temporarily halted oil production and flow in nearby pipelines, and said it isolated the area “to ensure public safety,” is removing affected surface soil for disposal at its facility, and is carrying out “continuous monitoring” and remediation “in accordance with applicable environmental norms and standard operating procedures.”
Khoth said his field was severely damaged, with crops destroyed and the soil turning oily, and demanded compensation. Villagers alleged flammable gas emissions and crude oil mixed with groundwater in nearby tubewells, and claimed frequent blasting in the area to maintain pressure has caused cracks in several houses.
In an official statement, the oil company’s spokesperson said: “On Feb 23, a liquid leak occurred near Aishwarya Well Pad-08. The leak was confined to a very small area, which was isolated to ensure public safety. Our technical and operations teams acted promptly to investigate the cause, secure the site, and initiate liquid evacuation procedures immediately.
“We implemented all necessary containment measures, and the surface soil from the affected area is being transported to our facility for safe and secure disposal. Continuous monitoring of the site is underway, and further assessment and remediation actions are being conducted in accordance with applicable environmental norms and standard operating procedures.”
