more-in A cross-section of fishermen in Ennore has raised concern over a pipeline being laid by the Indian Oil Corporation Limited across the wetlands of Ennore creek that has been ordered by the National Green Tribunal to be cleared of fly ash and remediated. IOCL is laying a LNG pipeline connecting Kamarajar Port and Manali Industrial Estate. The line runs on a large stretch of the Ennore Creek wetland, which fishermen in the area and environmental activists say is a high tide line area and that IOC has no permission to lay the pipeline on an environmentally sensitive zone. “They have been dumping construction debris to lay a road to lay the pipeline. This is a high tide line and they cannot get environmental clearance for it, as it would come under the CRZ guidelines,” D. Ravindran, president, Ennore All Fishermen Villages Association told reporters on Wednesday. “Given that they are laying the pipeline through the river, any leak or explosion will only further damage the ecosystem and push us into further hardship,” he said. Pooja Kumar of the Coastal Resource Centre said the project did not have any mandatory environment or CRZ clearance. “No licence under the Air and Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Acts have been obtained either,” she said. A visit to the site showed that a bund has been created on the wetland and the fly ash that was cleared from one site as per the NGT directions, had been dumped at another site on the riverbed. Ms. Kumar further said that the site where the pipeline is being laid has to be cleared of the fly ash as per the NGT orders and remediated. “There is no information on the remediation and if this pipeline is being laid here, how will the remediation be carried out,” she said. Sources in IOCL said that they were not carrying out any work in the 600m stretch in the Kosasthalaiyar River for which the CRZ clearance was yet to be obtained. “We will be laying the pipeline using trenchless technology under the river at a depth of at least 10m,” an official said. Along the creek, a temporary road has been laid using earth since that spot is slushy. This is being carried out beyond the CRZ boundary and it will be removed once the pipeline is laid, the official said. The official further said the LNG line will be laid at a minimum depth of 1.5m from the top of the pipe and since the gas is lighter than air, if any leak happens, it will float away and will not cause any harm. Before starting the work, a dispersion analysis of how the gas will flow if a leak occurs was carried out and it showed that even at minimum pressure, it will not come down below 5m height, the official added.

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