AN OIL spill from an ageing section of the Nurlino-Novosibirsk pipeline, running along the Belaya river in the Russian region of Bashkortostan, which was earlier thought to be of meagre dimensions, is now assuming gigantic proportions. While it was believed that the leak, which was discovered just before the New Year, could be contained, it has already wreaked havoc in the villages adjoining the southern Ural mountains by contaminating their water supply.

Workers equipped with oil-clearing devices appeared to be fighting a losing battle as the oil spill threatened to move under the ice of the Belaya river which could lead to the contamination of the mighty Volga river. The leak has turned the spotlight on Russia's abysmal state of pipeline systems. The post-Soviet era has seen Russia's oil production being split between 16 companies with poor investment in the maintenance of pipelines and equipment.