A breach in the ash pond of the thermal plant operated by the Odisha Power Generation Corporation (OPGC) reportedly caused flooding in farmland in several villages within the Jharsuguda district on Friday.
Villagers claimed that the breach, measuring approximately 20 feet, resulted in the collapse of the ash pond wall around 8 am on Friday, leading to the inundation of nearby areas with toxic slurry waste.
The outskirts of Saradhapali witnessed a surge in ash water, causing panic among the local residents. Sources indicate that crops over several acres of land were adversely affected and damaged due to the flooding.
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Upon receiving information about the incident, OPGC officials promptly arrived at the site. They reassured the affected locals that necessary repairs would be initiated in the ash pond, and compensation would be provided following a thorough inquiry and assessment of the damage.
What is the administration saying?
According to ANI, Himanshu Behera, the Public Relations Officer at OPGC, stated, "A breach has happened and because of that the slurry has entered into the farmlands of near by villages Kantatikira and Sardhapali. OPGC is taking all the corrective measures and investigation is underway. Steps will be taken as per the report of the investigation"
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He also added, "the repair work will start soon. It is likely that persistent rainfall weakened the ash pond wall, leading to the breach. However, we can only arrive at a conclusive assessment after an inquiry."
Aboli Sunil Naravane, Jharsuguda DM reportedly said, " Yesterday there was a breach at OPGC ash pond at around 9 am and slurry entered the farmland of village Sardhapali, it has not entered the houses. The villagers were panicked but we told them that since the slurry has not entered houses, they can sit inside the houses. In the presence of the administration, we will do an assessment of damage that has been done to the farmland. The repair of the breach has started. Villagers will be compensated for the loss..."
