Mysterious whiff of oil in Dinajpur pond baffles locals
OUR CORRESPONDENT, Dinajpur
Hundreds have gathered in Tangua village in Khansama upazila of Dinajpur following rumours about the appearance of a mysterious petroleum-like substance in a pond. The water smells like diesel fuel, said Md. Rafiqul Islam of Tangua village. Habibar Rahman, the owner of the pond, told reporters that 15 days ago, a local woman first smelt a petroleum-like odour while bathing. I did not take it seriously then as I thought it was a rumour, said the pond-owner, who has also smelt the petroleum-like substance in the water. He had dug out the pond on his 33-decimal plot of land 25 years ago, said Habibar Rahman. There was no smell like this at that time, he added.
Sihab Uddin, a villager of Bherveri in the upazila, said he was visiting the spot when he heard about it from other villagers. We smelt a diesel-like substance in the pond water, he said, adding that oil has been found floating on the pond water. During a visit to the spot on Tuesday, this correspondent found villagers digging holes in the banks of the pond in search of the source of the substance. The villagers could smell the odour even in the soil, said Shahanur Rahman, a resident of Tangua. Visitors were also seen setting fire to pieces of papers soaked in the pond water. Hafizur Rahman, chairman of the Bherveri union parishad of Khansama upazila, confirmed the phenomenon.
Mir Abdul Hannan, a mining expert from Maddhyapara Granite Mining Company Ltd (MGMCL) in Parbatipur upazila of Dinajpur, said oil can be found at a certain depth, but more tests have to be done by experts. Md. Sajibur Rahman, upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) of Khansama, told The Independent that he visited the spot on Tuesday noon and collected a sample, which will be sent to Dhaka for testing.
