Manipur: Iril river turns black after suspected chemical spill

Tension erupted in some peripheral areas of Imphal East, and an incident of spilling over peculiar substances in the Iril River was reported on February 7.

This morning, residents of Litanpokpi Mairelpat near Dolaithabi Dam under the Imphal East district came across a spilling peculiar substance in the Iril River that passes the said village. 

After the substance which is not greasy and odourless but black, residents panicked as they relied on said river for domestic use. Most of the concerned department had rushed to the incident site.

The officials of the environment department had collected samples for testing. However, they said that it is premature to give an opinion until the result of laboratory testing has come.

Also Read: Manipur: Three member committee formed to probe oil spill from power station in Leimakhong

One of the residents said that they had come across a black colour peculiar substance floating on the Iril River this morning. They were so shocked to see the substance. Because of the wind, the items spread fast and disappeared.

They fully rely upon this river water for everything. The government should take matters seriously and identify them as soon as possible.

Further in a press release, the PHED department said, "It has been circulated in certain sections of social media platforms that oil-like substances are found floating on Iril river near the upstream of Dolaithabi Dam. On receiving the information, L Susindro Meitei, Minister PHE and CAF & PD, DC, Imphal East and SP, Imphal East, officials of the Public Health Engineering Department and Directorate of Environment & Climate Change rushed to the spot for inspection. Officials of PHED and the Directorate of Environment & Climate Change have collected the water samples from different locations and the samples have been sent for further testing to the respective laboratories."

On preliminary testing, it has been found that all the parameters required for testing of samples available at the Lab facilities were found within the permissible limit for untreated water. 

However, the sample will be sent to advanced Laboratories for further testing if the need arises. 

In the meantime, it is to appeal to all the villagers residing in nearby areas to remain vigilant and report to the Government authorities of any such suspicious incident. 

It is to be mentioned here that on January 10, an oil spillage originating from the Leimakhong Power Station caused a significant release of heavy fuel into the streams, raising concerns about potential environmental damage. 

The Chief Minister assured that prompt measures have been taken to control the spill and prevent further contamination of the surrounding areas.

An expert team has been formed to investigate the incident thoroughly. Led by Shri Ashutosh Sinha, ADG (Int), Manipur, the team includes Commissioner (Power) Shri Shailesh Kumar Chourasia and Additional Secretary (Home) Shri M. Pradip Singh. Their mandate is to identify the root cause of the incident and assess the extent of contamination.