The Neduvaasal Hydrocarbon Project has sparked protest vide TamilNadu, as people think that it is against their agricultural interest. To get to the root of this issue, we first need to understand what this project is all about. Hydrocarbon projects are mainly undertaken to make our country self-reliant in terms of energy generation. In this case, it is the natural gas which is used as household fuel that has attracted the attention of ONGC officials to this small village of TamilNadu.
Neduvaasal being a fertile agricultural land possesses huge proportions of methane gas under its sand beds. This Hydrocarbon Project aims to extract these underground gases for fuel requirement. So where comes the problem in this case? The main problem is the fertility of land which will get affected by a huge scale, in case this project gets implemented which poses a serious threat to the local farmers. Once methane gas and other hydrocarbon traces get extracted the agricultural lands become completely uncultivable and also the ground water will completely become unfit for drinking. Also, the by-products released during this extraction process will pave the way to the release of several toxic gases which will significantly affect the health of the locals as well.
Now with the protest crossing over 20 days, both the central as well as state government holds the responsibility to respect the sentiments of the common man and amicably solve this dispute. In general, investing continuously in renewable sources of energy such as solar, wind and tidal energy can only fulfil our nation's energy requirements and let us hope that our government soon realises it!
The Neduvaasal Hydrocarbon Project has sparked protest vide Tamil Nadu, as the people think that it is against their agricultural interest. To get to the root of this issue, we first need to understand what this project is all about. Hydrocarbon projects are mainly undertaken to make our country self-reliant in terms of energy generation. In this case, it is the natural gas which is used as household fuel that has attracted the attention of Oil and Natural Gas Commission, the government body for renewable energy resources and its officials to this small remote village of Tamil Nadu.
ReplyDeleteTo give a brief background of the story, Neduvaasal is a tiny village situated in Pudukottai district of Tamil Nadu state. It is one of the few parts of Tamil Nadu which still thrives in agriculture because of the presence of rich fertile lands and availability of abundant nutritious groundwater by nature. But, this, in turn, has attracted unnecessary attention as its fertile agricultural land possesses huge proportions of methane gas under its sand beds.
This Hydrocarbon Project aims to extract these underground gases for fuel requirement. So what is the problem in this case? The main problem is the fertility of land which will get affected by a huge scale, in case this project gets implemented which poses a serious threat to the local farmers. Once methane gas and other hydrocarbon traces get extracted the agricultural lands become completely uncultivable and also the groundwater will completely become unfit for drinking. Also, the various by-products released during this extraction process will pave way for the release of several toxic gases which will significantly affect the health of the local people and that too especially the children and old aged people!
Here it is to be mentioned that these kinds of Methane extraction projects didn't even spare the Tamil Nadu city of 'Tanjore' which is nicknamed as the 'Rice bowl of Tamil Nadu' for being the leading rice-producing district. Protests are still on in several of the Tamil Nadu's Cauvery Delta Regions to protect the so-called backbone of India- "Poor Agriculture"! Now with the protests spanning across several months, both the central as well as state government possess the responsibility to respect the sentiments of the common man and amicably solve this dispute.
To conclude, in the words of Former US President Abraham Lincoln, "Democracy is for the people; by the people; of the people". So, it is the job of people elected governments to respect the sentiments of its subjects and act for their welfare. Moreover, several world countries have realized the ill effects of these 'Hydrocarbon' projects and have banned them several years before itself. A possible solution, in the long run, could be is to invest continuously in renewable sources of energy such as solar energy, wind energy, tidal energy etc., to fulfill our nation's energy requirements and pave way for a unified progress without harming anyone's interest. And let us hope that our government soon realizes it!
how the extraction of methane gas from the under ground soil bed affect the soil and under ground water?
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