Tehran, July 04: Following a leak in a crude oil pipeline in central Iran, a vital river has been put in danger, but it remains unclear whether there has been serious contamination.
The leak occurred Thursday morning in a 10-inch (25.4 cm) oil pipeline along the Serkan-Makuh axis, some 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the town of Pol-e Dokhtar in the province of Lorestan.
Some sources have reported that thousands of liters of oil had ended up in the River Kashkan, resulting in the death of some 30,000 sea animals.
Kakavand, the head of the Environmental Organization for Lorestan told the ISNA news agency that the oil leak had continued for 19 hours and had polluted about 45 kilometers (28 miles) of the River Kashkan.
He described the damage to the region’s ecosystem as “irreparable.”
Kakavand said that turning a blind eye to such environmental damage should be considered an offence. He explained that his office would take the matter up with those responsible through legal channels.
The website called PetroNews, however, cited a source as saying that the oil did not reach the river.
A spokesman for the Central Regions Oil Company said that the leakage was caused by a 3 centimeter in diameter hole (1.18 inch) that was fixed in less than 3 hours.
“After fixing the leak, representatives from the Environmental Organization, District Commissioner’s office and the prosecutor’s office visited the location and confirmed the absence of any oil pollution in the area,” said Ali Reza Neil-Darar.
He said that support and maintenance teams had come to the scene of the leak and shut off the safety spigots.
—–Agencies