Oil Spill in the Arctic region of Russia

Russia declared state of emergency after oil spilled into Ambarnaya river. The surface of the river turned crimson red.

Highlights

• The Ambarnaya river slows into environmentally sensitive Arctic Ocean.
• The Thermoelectric power plant located at Norilsk has been built on a permafrost. 
• The permafrost has weakened due to climate change and increase in temperature. 
• This led to the sinking of the pillars that supported the fuel tank to sink. 
• The loss of containment led to 20,000 tonnes of diesel oil into the Ambarnaya river.
• The river has drifted 12 km on its surface since its leak.

Environmental damages

• The Environmentalists say that the river will become difficult to clean. 
• The river will take decades to return to its previous state. 
• It however does not include atmospheric damages and soil pollution The World wide Fund recorded the oil spill as the second largest oil leak in the world. 
• The incident is being compared to Alaska’s 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster.

Exxon Valdez Disaster

• The Exxon Valdez Disaster occurred in 1989 when an oil tanker struck Prince William Sound Reef in Alaska. 
• Around 10.8 million gallons of crude oil spilled over. 
• This is till date considered one of the worst oil spills in history.
• The region is rich in salmon, seals, sea otters and sea birds.

Ambarnaya river

• The Ambarnaya river flows in Siberial in northerly direction in Lake Pyasino. 
• Fishing is no longer possible in the river as it is heavily polluted due to mining in Norilsk.