Emergency Response Triggered As Heavy Fuel Leakage From Leimakhong Power Station Threatens Imphal Valley Streams

The Manipur government has issued an urgent directive to all relevant departments to take immediate action following the reported leakage of heavy fuel from the Leimakhong Power Station. The spilled fuel has entered streams flowing through the Imphal Valley.

Video footage shows officials using a stick to assess the fuel-laden stream, with small fires observed in some areas. The government, in an official order, stated, "Leakage of heavy fuel from Leimakhong Power Station has been reported, leading to spillover of the discharge along streams passing through Kantosabal, Sekmai, etc. The stream meets the Imphal River downstream by flowing through Khurkhul-Loitang-Kameng-Iroisemba-Nambul."

The government has called on all concerned parties to take immediate action to prevent an environmental disaster, utilizing all available resources in terms of machinery, manpower, and expertise. The state government emphasized the activation of response mechanisms and standard operating procedures for such events, with the Deputy Commissioner (Imphal West) coordinating in the field until further instructions.

In response to the incident, Manipur's Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) Minister Leishangthem Susindro Meitei and Forest Minister Thongam Biswajit Singh visited the site late last night.

It's worth noting that this incident occurs amid sporadic incidents of violence in Manipur following ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities on May 3 last year, resulting in over 180 casualties.