Brahmani river pollution: Lab report awaited

ROURKELA: Amid continuing environmental fear, the Sundargarh administration is waiting for the lab test report to ascertain if the water of the river Brahmani was polluted due to accidental release of fly ash.Due to heavy downpour on Thursday night, a large amount of fly ash deposited at the slag dumping yard of the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) formed into slush and spilled onto the Hecket Road after razing the boundary wall to ground.  It is alleged that the NTPC-SAIL Private Company Ltd (NSPCL) inside the RSP used to unscientifically dump fly ash there in the absence of ash pond.  Sources said owing to the situation, vehicular traffic was disrupted for hours before NSPCL authorities cleared the fly ash slush using heavy earth moving equipment, but it triggered environmental concerns as the slush is believed to have found its way to the adjacent Brahmani river with flowing rainwater.  A joint inquiry report by Panposh Sub-Collector RK Patnaik and the Irrigation Department executive engineer SK Patnaik on Saturday concluded that there appeared to be no environmental threat due to release of the slush.  However, as a precautionary measure the Orissa State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) is learnt to have submitted samples of rainwater for laboratory testing.Sundargarh Collector Rupa Roshan Sahu said the laboratory testing report is awaited and further appropriate action would be taken based on the report.To allay fears, RSP sources claimed that the water of the Brahmani was unlikely to be polluted as they felt the fly ash slush might have not been able to reach the river due to the lagoon dividing the dumping yard and the river.