An oil spill has contaminated a river in Surkhandarya province, according to Shuhrat Suyunov, spokesperson for the Ministry of Water Resources.
Reports indicate that temporary oil storage pits were located on the left bank of the Khangaronsoy stream, which flows through the Kofrun neighborhood in the Boysun district. These pits were constructed between January and February of this year by the company Eriell. They were designed as earthen dams to prevent crude oil surfaced during drilling operations from leaking into the stream. The oil collected in these basins was periodically transported away using specialized equipment.
However, on April 23, heavy rainfall in the Boysun district caused the Khangaronsoy stream to swell. Flash floodwaters breached the temporary dams, sweeping oil-contaminated water into the Bandikhonsoy stream in the Bandikhon district, and eventually into Surkhandarya River in Kumkurgan district.
In response to the incident, the Amu-Surkhon Irrigation Systems Basin Administration and all provinceal water management organizations have heightened their monitoring efforts in areas at high risk of flash flooding.
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