AR clarifies on oil drilling

IMPHAL | Aug 1

The Assam Rifles has clarified that the reports of oil exploration are completely false and baseless. The drilling is presently being undertaken by Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam, Noida solely for water supply scheme and not for oil exploration.

In a release signed by the PRO of the IGAR (S) said the facts have been published without corroborating with the AR. A new camp of AR is currently under construction at Kangvai, and as part of providing water to the occupants of this camp in future, a Water Supply Scheme (WSS) is under preparation at the location.

This scheme uses boring well as the source of water for which drilling is currently underway and not for oil exploration survey as stated in some of the reports published on August 1, it said.

Further the release said a total of only five bore wells have been dug and not eight as reported in the articles. Of these, three had failed to provide the requisite quantity of water, it said, adding one bore well is functional and is being used for drawing water while drilling is under progress for the fifth bore well.

As far as the issue of drawing water from the nearby stream by constructing a reservoir is concerned, the stream being perennial does not have the capacity to provide adequate quantity of water which is required for the strength planned at the camp, it said.

 Also, the content of mud in the water is very high especially during the rainy reason, added the release.