TN rejects environment clearance to ONGC to explore five oil wells in Cuddalore

The Tamil Nadu State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (TNSEIAA) on Monday rejected ONGC’s (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd) application to drill and explore five oil wells in Cuddalore. ONGC had applied to get the green nod to drill oil wells in 15 places in Tamil Nadu, including 10 in Ariyalur and 5 in Cuddalore districts. The company’s plans to drill oil wells has stirred up a controversy in the state, where environmentalists, farmers and the ruling government are opposed to any form of hydrocarbon exploration in the Cauvery basin. Chief Minister MK Stalin had also written to Prime Minister Modi asking the Union Government to not invite bids from companies for hydrocarbon exploration in the Cauvery basin.

However, despite the state government’s stance, the ONGC Cauvery basin branch had applied to the TNSEIAA for clearance to drill these wells. The TNSEIAA on Monday declined to give clearance to the application for exploring five wells in Cuddalore. In its letter, the authority stated that relevant documents were missing from ONGC’s application and therefore it could not be cleared.

“The proponent has not furnished a study report on impacts of surface water bodies and marine ecosystems considering fish movement, flaura, fauna and migratory birds movement. The proponents had also not submitted details of clearances from competent authorities for the forest land use and the land use conversion orders for industrial purposes,” the letter noted.

The letter also added that ONGC had not submitted the details of land acquired which includes break-up of private land and buildings, agricultural land from the farmers, forest land, government land and its registered land documents and government orders which provided for the acquisition of land. ONGC had also not submitted data from the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) regarding the aquifer details at different depths and the ground water profile around each core holes. Other documents not furnished include details on timelines of rehabilitation/compensation of agricultural lands for farmers including wells, graze fields for domestic animals, habitations, restoration of green belt, and socio economic aspects, etc.

According to a 2018 study “Illegal Business: The Real Story of ONGC’s Operations in Cauvery Basin” ONGC, the largest leaseholder in Cauvery basin, claims to have drilled more than 700 wells in the delta districts of Cuddalore, Ariyalur, Nagapattinam, Thiruvarur, Thanjavur, Pudukottai and Ramanathapuram.

As of 2018, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) had records only for 219 wells. Out of these, only 71 wells are shown as operational, albeit without valid licenses under the Air or the Water Act. The number of illegally operating hydrocarbon wells may be more than double the numbers registered in TNPCB, as ONGC claimed to have 183 wells in production in 2018.