WWF Says Oil Spill In Russia's Khabarovsk Territory Larger Than Estimated 9,000 Tonnes

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th July, 2020) The oil spill that has polluted three streams and a lake in the Amur river's flood plain after an oil pipeline breach in Russia's Khabarovsk Territory, is much larger than the declared 9,000 tonnes, the Russia office of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said on Friday.

The spill took place on Monday at the 575th kilometer (the 357th mile) of the Okha - Komsomolsk-on-Amur pipeline, owned by RN-Sakhalinmorneftegaz LLC, a part of Rosneft oil and gas corporation. The oil is said to have polluted the Bezymyannyy, Kryvoi and Golyy streams, as well as Lake Goloe. The early reported estimate of the spill was 9,000 tonnes.

"According to the WWF's preliminary estimates, the spill is much larger than the declared 9,000 tonnes," the organization said in a statement.

The WWF has asked the regional branch of Russia's Rosprirodnadzor environmental watchdog and the Khabarovsk Territory's emergency services for more detailed information.

"Apart from the pollution of the lake itself, the accident threatens to pollute the Amur River with oil and its derivatives, which can damage the ecosystems of the Russian Far East's largest river," the WWF added.

The WWF warned that oil creates a coating on the water surface that disrupts gases interchange and poisons living creatures.