The incident near Mayiladuthurai caused a stir as more than 15 people were vomiting, diarrhea and fainting due to oil mixing from ONGC in the drinking water and 6 people including 2 children were being treated at the government hospital.
Mayiladuthurai District Kuthalam Taluk, Chethrapalapuram Main Road, ONGC Oil Storage Depot. Gas and oil extracted from the oil well in Mayiladuthurai district are stored here. Opposite this storage depot is Ramamurthy Street.
More than 200 families live on this street. A new overhead reservoir has been constructed in the area for the last 3 years to provide drinking water to the public. Residents of the area say that the drinking water from the reservoir is highly saffron glazed and has been contaminated with oil for the past one week, causing severe itching in children and adults in the area, and vomiting and diarrhea due to drinking the water.
As a result, more than 15 victims have been admitted to the Kuthalam Government Hospital for treatment. Of these, 6 have been admitted as inpatients. Also, most of the children in the area have been affected by itchy skin.
Therefore, the ONGC is committed to providing safe drinking water in the region. The people of the area have demanded that the oil storage depot be relocated. Governor Franஸ்ois of Kuthalam investigated the incident. Franவாois said appropriate action would be taken after drinking water samples were taken and tested following public complaints of ONGC oil contamination in drinking water.