Criminal investigation started into NAM pollution leak

Photo: Depositphotos.com
Photo: Depositphotos.com

A criminal investigation has been started into the leak of toxic natural gas condensate into a canal near Farmsum in Groningen province, the state mining authority SODM said on Twitter.

Gas company NAM has been summoned to ‘minimalise the extent of the leak and to restore any damage to the natural environment’ the mining body said. NAM must also investigate the cause of the leak and take steps to prevent them in the future.

The condensate was discovered in the canal a week ago on Thursday and Delfzijl town council said on Tuesday evening that NAM is responsible for the leak.

‘We are extremely angry that NAM did not come clean about this,’ local alderman IJzebrand Rijzebol told local broadcaster RTV Noord. ‘If you are working with such dangerous substances, you should be extremely careful in what you do.’

NAM said in a statement that it regretted the incident, would take full responsibility for the clean-up costs and would investigate the cause.

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