Heavy fuel spill from Manipur power station, govt issues alert

The Manipur government has issued an alert after leakage of 'heavy fuel' from the Leimakhong power station resulted in a spillover of the discharge into streams flowing through Imphal Valley.

These streams from areas like Kantosabal and Sekmai join the Imphal river downstream raising fears of an environmental calamity. Chief Minister N Biren Singh's office has ordered immediate action "making use of all available resources in terms of machinery, manpower and expertise" to prevent such a disaster.

Video footage showed officials trying to clean up the oil spill even as small fires could be seen in other parts of the streams.

An environmental calamity would deal another blow to a people reeling from the aftermath of ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities. Fresh violence in Bishnupur district on Wednesday prompted more than 100 women, children and elderly to flee to safer areas.