Petrol pump owners in the State under the banner of Petroleum Dealers Association Meghalaya have come forward to give a clarification over the allegation that a few petrol pumps are mixing water in petrol.
These allegations were clarified by the leaders of the Petroleum Dealers Association Meghalaya after the recent news that one petrol pump situated in Nongspung and another one situated in Laitkor mix water in the petrol they sell.
The President of the Association, Kennedy C. Khyriem said that the Central Government through the Ministry of Petroleum in the month of February this year had stipulated that ethanol which is derived especially from sugarcane, maize and others will be mixed upto 10% in petrol and this ethanol consists about 5.5% water content so as to reduce the high smoke emission from vehicles which will help in controlling environmental pollution.
He said that it is possibly because of this that petrol may contain water and because it is rainy season so water could have seeped through while cleaning the underground tanker in petrol pumps and in vehicles and bikes of people because water can seep in not only from petrol but also when people wash their vehicles and two-wheelers, and during rainy season water can seep into the petrol tanker.
Khyriem urged the people to be cautious while washing their vehicles and two-wheelers so that water will not seep in and there should not be any allegation against petrol pumps because ethanol is mixed in petrol by the companies that deliver petrol and is not due to the petrol pumps.
