Title - Fuel pipeline leak at Tondiarpet

Residents collected petrol in containers; fault was set right later
In the second such incident this month, a petroleum pipeline near Tondiarpet railway station sprung a leak on Sunday morning.

The leak in the pipeline belonging to Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited was noticed around 6 a.m. by residents of Karaneeswarar Nagar. It runs through Korukkupet and Tondiarpet and is about 100 metres away from Tondiarpet railway station.

The fault in the pipeline was set right by 7.30 a.m. after a contractor installed a clamp to plug the leak, a police officer said. A large posse of police was posted in the area to keep away local residents, who collected the leaking petrol in pots and buckets.

However, a company official said fuel was not being pumped through the pipeline at that time.

During routine patrolling, some ‘sweating’ was noticed following which efforts were taken to quickly seal the opening, the official said.

Mani, a resident of Tondiarpet, said such incidents were common in the area as pipelines were often misused by the locals. “Children play and fly kites atop the pipelines. They also defecate and throw garbage on the pipes. If proper patrolling is done and pipelines are constantly checked for cracks, such incidents can be avoided,” he said.

This is the second leak in an oil pipeline in north Chennai this month. On September 16, furnace oil leaked from an underground pipeline at Kummalamman Koil Street.

Residents said, after the leak, underground water in the area had become polluted. Till date, borewell water was often found mixed with oil, a resident said.

Fishermen in the area recalled that two years ago, there was a massive leak inside Kasimedu fishing harbour.

Once, there was a leak near Chennai Port’s zero gate too, said M.D. Dayalan.

“Oil companies need to be careful about such facilities as they run through residential neighbourhoods,” he said.

A couple of decades ago, an old-timer recalled, there was a major pipeline leak in the same vicinity where the pipeline broke on Sunday.

The leak was quite massive back then, he said.