Ambarnaya river Oil spill in Russia

Russia has declared a state of emergency after a power plant fuel leak in its Arctic region caused 20,000 tonnes of diesel oil to escape into a local river, turning its surface crimson red.

Details of the spillage

• The Ambarnaya River, into which the oil has been discharged, is part of a network that flows into the environmentally sensitive Arctic Ocean.
• The state-owned TASS news agency reported that the emergency measures were announced within Russia’s Krasnoyarsk Region, located in the vast and sparsely populated Siberian peninsula.

How did the leak happen?

• The thermoelectric power plant at Norilsk is built on permafrost, which has weakened over the years owing to climate change.
• The power plant is located near the Region’s Norilsk city, around 3000 km northeast of Moscow.
• This caused the pillars that supported the plant’s fuel tank to sink.
• Around 20,000 tonnes of diesel oil was released into the Ambarnaya river, which has since drifted 12 km on its surface.

What has Russia done so far?

• Boom obstacles were placed in the river, but they were unable to contain the oil because of shallow waters.
• The state of emergency declared would bring in extra forces and federal resources for the clean-up efforts.

What is the extent of the damage?

• Environmentalists have said the river would be difficult to clean, given its shallow waters and remote location, as well as the magnitude of the spill.
• This is the second-largest known oil leak in modern Russia’s history in terms of volume.
• The clean-up effort could take between 5-10 years