Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) is a petroleum oil refinery located near Jokatte village in Dakshina Kannada district. It is a subsidiary of state owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC). The plant has been established in 1993 and recently made an expansion plan (in the third phase) of the plant. For this process MRPL has recently acquired about 274 acres of land at Mangalore Special Economic Zone (MSEZ). |
Description
Basic Data
| Name | Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL), Karnataka, India |
| Country | India |
| Province | Karnataka |
| Site | Village - Bala, Kalavar, Kuthetoor, Katipalla, and Adyapadi; District -Dakshina Kannada |
| Accuracy of Location | HIGH local level |
Source of Conflict
| Type of Conflict (1st level) | Industrial and Utilities conflicts |
| Type of Conflict (2nd level) | Oil and gas exploration and extraction |
| Specific Commodities | Crude oil Industrial waste |
Project Details and Actors
| Project Details | Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL), is an oil refinery located at Mangalore. MRPL is a subsidiary of ONGC and established in 1993. MRPL acquired 274 acres at Mangalore Special Economic Zone (MSEZ) to expand its refinery in the third phase. It has invested about Rs 15,000 crore for this expansion. According to MRPL website, the Refinery has got a versatile design with high flexibility to process Crudes of various API and with high degree of Automation. It has a design capacity to process 15 million metric tons per annum and have 2 Hydrocrackers producing Premium Diesel (High Cetane). It also has 2 CCRs producing Unleaded Petrol of High Octane [4]. |
| Project Area (in hectares) | 110 |
| Level of Investment (in USD) | $2,428,235,747 (Rs/-15,000 Crore) |
| Type of Population | Rural |
| Potential Affected Population | 4,000-10,000(800 Families) |
| Start Date | 2014 |
| Company Names or State Enterprises | Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) from India - owner Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) from India |
| Relevant government actors | Government of Karnataka Ministry of Environment & Forest |
| Environmental justice organisations and other supporters | Nagarika Horata Samiti Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI)- Youth Wing of Communist Party of India (Marxists) Local Villagers |
The Conflict and the Mobilization
| Intensity of Conflict (at highest level) | MEDIUM (street protests, visible mobilization) |
| When did the mobilization begin | Mobilization for reparations once impacts have been felt |
| Groups Mobilizing | Farmers Local ejos Local government/political parties Neighbours/citizens/communities Social movements Local scientists/professionals |
| Forms of Mobilization | Official complaint letters and petitions Public campaigns Street protest/marches Strikes |
Impacts
| Environmental Impacts | Visible: Air pollution, Loss of landscape/aesthetic degradation, Noise pollution, Surface water pollution / Decreasing water (physico-chemical, biological) quality, Groundwater pollution or depletion Potential: Biodiversity loss (wildlife, agro-diversity), Soil contamination |
| Health Impacts | Visible: Other environmental related diseases Potential: Exposure to unknown or uncertain complex risks (radiation, etc…), Other Health impacts |
| Socio-economic Impacts | Visible: Loss of livelihood, Loss of landscape/sense of place Potential: Displacement, Land dispossession |
Outcome
| Project Status | In operation |
| Pathways for conflict outcome / response | Compensation Environmental improvements, rehabilitation/restoration of area Strengthening of participation Under negotiation Application of existing regulations New Environmental Impact Assessment/Study |
| Development of Alternatives | Villagers are demanding that the government to close down the sulphur and coke plants. The pollutants from the plant are spreading many other villages nearby which causes serious health hazards for the local people. Annoyed by the pollution caused by the plant, many villagers are willing to give away their land to the plant and move away from their village. Following complaints from the people of Jokatte Village, Karnataka Minister for Environment & Forest had appointed an expert “Technical Advisory Committee (TAC)”. The committee will do the necessary inspection and talk to the affected people. According to the Newspaper Business Standard report on October 11, 2014, the fact finding report by the committee is waiting [1]. |
| Do you consider this as a success? | No |
| Why? Explain briefly. | Protestors claimed that after the recent expansion, the plant is increasingly emitting pollutants in the surrounding areas. As a result, residents were falling sick because of the nauseous smell and fumes. They are demanding immediate suspension of sulphur and coke plants. The water in the nearby lake and wells has been contaminated. Even fish has disappeared from the lake. They want the government to take immediate action and ask the company to close down the sulphur and coke plants. They also observed that the company had failed in building up a green belt around the new plant to shield residents against the pollution. So they demanded that MRPL should either acquire the lands affected by the “pollution” from the plant or shut down the operations of the plant [2]. However company officials denied all allegations and claimed that they had taken all possible pollution control measures directed by the government agencies. They also claimed that they regularly check air and water quality in the surrounding areas and their report shows that there is no cause for concern for the people of surrounding areas. The company is willing to do necessary modifications if recommended by the experts [1]. |
Sources and Materials
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Meta Information
| Contributor | Swapan Kumar Patra |
| Last update | 06/02/2015 |
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