Bhubaneswar: The National Aluminium Company on Sunday clarified that as there is no paddy field in the vicinity, there is no question of inundation of any paddy field with the ash water. The company, in a release said that the photograph published in the media was taken from another pipeline, which is meant for carrying treated clear water from the ash pond to the plant for reuse, which was punctured at three points by the villagers themselves to use the water for the purpose of agriculture in their lands. The line was inspected by the collector, who also visited the adjacent area. It was observed that the well into which some ash water had entered is unauthorisedly constructed in Nalco land. However, it has been fully cleared and sanitised on the day of incidence itself. Angul district collector and sub-collector, along with Nalco’s executive director (Smelter & Power), Angul, and other senior officials of S&P complex visited the site of the ash slurry pipe leak on Sunday. The collector also discussed the issue with the villagers. He was apprised by the officials of Nalco that the situation is not at all as alarming as has been made out in the media. The Nalco authorities are in constant touch with the district administration and police authorities for their assistance and intervention in completing the maintenance work of the pipeline at the earliest, the release added. Meanwhile, people of 32 peripheral villages of Nalco in Angul district, along with NGO leaders, social activists, leaders of various political parties and leaders of workers’ union, strongly resented the incident leading to loss to the property of the people and threat to their lives. They demanded immediate cancellation of the order of extension of the term of Nalco CMD-in-Charge BL Bagra up to December 2011. District Congress president Pratap Pradhan strongly condemned the irresponsible acts of the Nalco authorities resulting in frequent breaches in the ash pond, and ash slurry leak. INTUC leader and president of the Nalco Shramik Union Ramesh Jena called upon people to intensify their protests against the ash pollution. President of the Odisha Mahila Morcha Sasmita Behera, team leader of the Foundation for Ecological Security Swapna Sarangi and president of the Citizens’ Action Forum and president of the District Bar Association Rabindra Prasad Pattanaik demanded stern action against the Nalco management. They pointed out that the State Pollution Control Board had earlier issued warnings regarding possible danger from the fly ash pond of Nalco. However, the company management intentionally disobeyed it, they alleged. The affected people of Balaramprasad village panicked due to the burst of the ash slurry pipe on Saturday as polluted ash slurry entered into many houses and spread over a vast area. The gushing of ash water into wells and tanks in the area has caused severe pollution. The ash slurry from Nalco’s captive power plant is presently discharged without any treatment. The fly ash becomes airborne and affects the ambient air quality beyond the prescribed standards.