Angul, Oct. 10: Cracks formed on the embankment of an ash pond of the National Aluminium Company’s (Nalco) captive power plant near Kukudanga village today created panic in the locality.

According to a report, a depression around ash pond No. 2 caused the cracks on the embankment at about 7am in the morning. As a result, ash slurry stored inside the pond spilled into the nearby Nadira rivulet, which runs into the Brahmani river.

Following the incident, residents of Kukudanga village rushed to the site and raised protests.

“As soon as we learnt about the leakage, we immediately stepped in and took up restoration work. By 10am, the leaks were totally stopped. Some ash water may have been discharged to the nearby Nadira rivulet. It was a very minor incident,” said a Nalco official. The regional pollution control board officials inspected the incident. “The depression on the ash pond embankment caused the leakage of ash water. However, by 10.30am, it was checked and restoration work is going on. We will again visit the site to assess the environmental impact of the cracks and follow up leakages of ash water into the Nadira,” said regional officer of the state pollution control board Sitikanta Sahu. However, the locals panicked over the report that the ash pond embankment was subsiding.

Local sarpanch Anya Tripathy said: “Nalco authorities do not take long-term measures to prevent such mishaps. They only take short-term remedial measures whenever any mishap takes place. Our long-standing demand to make the ash pond dykes concrete is yet to be fulfilled. We demand strong action against the erring officials responsible for this.”

Nalco, in an official release issued from its corporate office in Bhubaneswar, claimed that it had successfully arrested the leakage in its ash pond in Angul.