Examine the Intersectional Interaction in the Event of Oil Spill into Zayandeh-Rood River: A Case Study

On Monday, 14 April 2008, due to bulldozer’s driver recklessness belonging to the Department of Transportation in Isfahan-Omidiyeh Oil Pipeline, 500 meters upstream from the river, in Chalvan from Chahar Mahal and Bakhtiari province was fractured and the vast quantity of crude oil polluted the surrounding land and Zayande Rood river. After the occurrence of this incident, the drinking water of some cities of Isfahan province was completely cut off for 48 hours. This study was done to present a successful example of intersectional cooperation and interaction in an environmental disaster management.

This is an applied research that was carried out in five stages. (1) A review of the literature was done about toxic substances spills and specially oil spill in water resources, (2) Incident was reviewed by existing documents, (3) Identification of roles and responsibilities as well as interventions by the responsible agencies in the mentioned incident through interviews with those responsible or involved in the incident management, (4) Gathering, summarize and analyze obtained data, (5) Design and suggest pattern in order to intersectional cooperation and interaction.

In response to the incident, widespread acts was done by Isfahan Governor, Department of Water and Waste Water, The Environmental Protection Agency, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, The Fire and Safety Services, Oil Company and other agencies responsible for cleaning the area and preventing the entry of crude oil to water retention facilities and emergency water refinery. After cleaning the river, water purification stages were carried out under control of relevant organizations with the necessary tests and standards. Also by headquarters coordination in the province, side problems of water interruption were reduced to a minimum.

One of the most persistent and dangerous pollution of water resources is oil pollution. This type of pollution is a serious threat to groundwater resources and surface water resources. To reduce the risks of oil spills it is necessary to predict and identify black spots and actions that lead to the occurrence of such events. Also, before the occurrence of such crisis should be considered some alternatives for intersectional cooperation and interaction between involved organizations.