Team Goemkarponn
CANACONA: Panic and anxiety gripped Shristhal Industrial Estate and surrounding areas on Monday after a massive molasses storage tank at a defunct alcohol unit developed cracks and began leaking foul-smelling liquid, raising fears of an impending ecological disaster.
The unused tank, which had already tilted precariously about four months ago, has now developed visible cracks and a pinhole rupture. From this opening, residents said, a highly noxious molasses waste is pouring out, spreading a heavy stench across the locality.
Locals who rushed to the spot reported that the area where the liquid spilled had turned into a burnt white crust, destroying surrounding bushes and shrubs. The poisonous discharge has intensified public fears of large-scale contamination of nearby paddy fields, water bodies, and even the Kushawati and Talpona rivers that eventually meet the sea.
Residents recalled that as early as June, when the tank’s tilt first became apparent, they had alerted the authorities. “Except for an inspection and a drone survey, nothing was done. No precautionary steps were taken to shift the contents,” said one agitated villager.
On Monday, villagers called in Shristhal Panchayat Deputy Sarpanch Deshmukh to inspect the situation firsthand. “This is a disaster waiting to happen. It directly threatens our environment, agriculture, and even our lives,” residents told him.
Villagers have strongly criticized the government’s inaction, accusing authorities of “sitting silent” for nearly four months while the risk escalated. They are now demanding urgent intervention before the situation spirals into a full-blown environmental crisis.
