Ash pond pipeline bursts

ANGUL: One of the pipelines carrying slurry from Nalco captive power plant to its ash pond burst on Saturday morning, resulting in release of ash water to nearby Balaramprasad village. According to reports, the pipeline no.3 of power plant burst near the village at about 7 am and released ash water for some hours. Sources said before the situation was brought under control, it caused damage to some extent in the village.Villagers said slurry gushed into some houses and paddy fields. Even the village road was submerged for sometime. The enraged villagers demanded compensation from the company for the damage. Nalco authorities, on the other hand, rejected the compensation demand and said the houses, wells and ponds that had been affected by the ash water would be cleaned. “We immediately controlled the leakage of the ash water by diverting it to other pipeline. We are examining the cause of the leakage,” said a Nalco official. No local government official reached the spot till  afternoon except some pollution control board officials. Meanwhile, MP Rudra Narayan Pany said he had spoken to Nalco CMD B L Bagra who promised to initiate measures to repair the pipeline at the earliest.