Penal residents clean up after oil spill, flooding

Penal residents affected by flooding and an oil spill were counting their losses on Friday as clean-up operations continued. Several wildlife species have also been affected but have since been rescued and rehabilitated.

On Thursday, as the floodwater receded, state-owned Heritage Petroleum Ltd had isolated and repaired the source of the leak on a four-inch oil-transfer line which affected residents of at Katwaroo, Ramdharry and Digity Traces.

On Friday at Ramdharry Trace, Usha Boodram told Newsday that she and her six children had been staying at a relative's home for the past few days. When she visited on Tuesday, her rented wooden house that does not have electricity was surrounded by floodwater mixed with oil.

The water destroyed her washing machine and a couch.

She said she and her children had been living in the structure since December. On Sunday, they left the house as other residents warned her about flooding in the area.

On Tuesday, she returned home and got into the house by removing several louvers from a window and climbing inside.

She tried securing items by placing them on higher grounds and left again.

"This is the first flood we had since living here. I came back today to try and clean up. These people are helping with the cleaning," Boodram said.

She was referring to two workmen from Arav Construction Ltd who Heritage contracted.

Basdaye Ramlakan, 78, who lives next door, recalled that she left home on Saturday morning when the flood water began rising. The elderly woman said the entire yard and part of her shed was already flooded.

She walked through the water to get out of the street where someone was waiting to take her to relatives.

Ramlakan returned home on Thursday morning when she found out about the oil leak.

The widow said floodwater got into her home.

"I couldn't wait for people to come and clean. I paid someone to help me," she said.

At Katwaroo Trace, resident Aleem Khan said many animals like snakes and caiman died in the contaminated water.

Khan said residents alerted Heritage when the oil was first spotted in the floodwaters on Monday.

"The response was good from Heritage, and they are doing their work.

"On Monday night, they came into the area on a boat. They did not reach on this side, but the next day they were here and did assessments."

He recalled that the water was so high Monday and Tuesday that vehicles could not drive into the street. On Wednesday, the floodwaters started to recede.

Khan injured his foot after falling off a rooftop about a month ago and remained at home during the flood.

Several representatives from Heritage were seen cleaning the area.

A statement on Thursday said Heritage's incident management team (IMT) responded to reports about "hydrocarbons in floodwaters" on Monday and has since been on site conducting restoration and clean-up operations.

It added that the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) and the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries were regularly updated on the progress of the clean-up operations.

On Friday afternoon, a statement from the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries said members of the South Game Warden Unit, Serpentarium, and Heritage investigated reports of the oil spill affecting wildlife in Katwaroo Trace.

The investigations revealed that on Tuesday, the four-inch pipeline owned by Heritage caused the oil spill.

Flooding in the immediate area led to oil dispersion, which affected 20 acres of marshland.

"The incident has affected five sites in the Katwaroo Trace area, which is situated north of Clarke Road near the Penal Heritage Facility," the statement said.

"Rescued animals include brown-banded water snakes, red-sided water snakes, caimans, and river turtles. Wild ducks, capybaras, mongoose, and herons were also affected but not severely impacted and have since left the affected areas."

The ministry said all necessary measures were being taken to ensure an effective and efficient restoration of the impact zone and the affected community.

Line minister Kazim Hosein commended all teams on their efforts and dedication to preserving the country's wildlife.

He said, "The response and subsequent clean-up exercises of this oil spill have been incident free. Thanks to the professionalism and dedication of our game wardens and the co-operation extended by all involved parties."

The statement said the ministry remained committed to preserving the country's natural resources and protecting its wildlife.

"We will continue to closely monitor the restoration efforts and ensure the well-being of all affected species."