Protest against hydrocarbon project gathers momentum on second day

  • | Sunday | 26th February, 2017

"The main risk associated with this extraction process is the potential contamination of drinking water with chemicals used in the fracturing process," he added. Shales are fine-grained sedimentary rocks formed by the accumulation of sediments on the earth's surface and within water bodies. State health minister C Vijayabaskar visited Neduvasal and held talks with the protesters on Saturday evening. The water is just removed from the natural cycle and this will automatically lead to drought. To get access to these gases, the rocks should be pierced or broken using hydraulic and fracturing methods.

Times News NetworkTrichy: The ongoing protest against the hydrocarbon exploration and extraction protest intensified on Saturday as a group of students and youths, mobilised through social media, staged a day-long hunger strike in Tiruvarur, opposing the project.One of the organizers of the protest, S Raja, an MBA student of Sir Issac Newton College in Nagapattinam said that 15 spots including Adiyakkamangalam, Nannilam, Athichapuram, Koothanallur, Vijayapuram and Poondi, have been earmarked for this exploration project."This is a token protest. We plan to organize a massive stir against the proposed project. We will mobilise youngsters to join in our efforts against the Union government's move to spoil our fertile lands," he said.Meanwhile, the protests in Neduvasal, Pudukottai district, entered its second day on Saturday. State health minister C Vijayabaskar visited Neduvasal and held talks with the protesters on Saturday evening. He assured them that the Tamil Nadu government would ensure the livelihood of farmers would not be affected. Chief Minister Edapadi K Palanisamy would carry forward the farmer's concerns to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.People from 20 villages across Pudukkottai district began protesting against the hydrocarbon extraction project mooted by the union government and being executed by ONGC at various places in Tamil Nadu. Bore wells were dug across Neduvasal, Kallikollai, Vanakkankadu Karukkakurichi and Kottaikadu by ONGC.Following oil seepage from the bore well at Vanakkankadu, villagers panicked, not sure whether it would pollute their agricultural land and destroy their livelihood. Villagers commenced their protest in Neduvasal after making a 'pandal' near the bore well and are still protesting there.Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan appealed to the protesters not to oppose the hydrocarbon extraction project blindly.Meanwhile, a group of youths organized by 'Thanneer', an NGO, will undertake a two-wheeler rally to Neduvasal from Trichy to show their support for the cause on Sunday.What is hydrocarbon exploration?It is the process of extracting oil, shale gas and methane from sand beds. Oil, shale gas and methane are trapped within shale formations. Shales are fine-grained sedimentary rocks formed by the accumulation of sediments on the earth's surface and within water bodies. To get access to these gases, the rocks should be pierced or broken using hydraulic and fracturing methods. The process involves drilling of exploratory wells in the chosen places to release natural gas and oil from deep beneath the surface of the earth.To extract gases they inject high pressure fracturing fluid into the sedimentary rocks which crack the rocks. The high pressure fluid is ultimately water, sand and a massive amount of chemicals.KK R Lenin, founder of Movement Against Destruction told TOI that the water pumped inside could be recycled using waste water treatment. However, more than 90 percent of water never returns to the surface. The water is just removed from the natural cycle and this will automatically lead to drought."The main risk associated with this extraction process is the potential contamination of drinking water with chemicals used in the fracturing process," he added.

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