Through production of 4.2 million barrels of oil, some 450,000 barrels of polluted water is discharged into the environment, said the research and technology manager of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), ILNA reported Friday.
Drilling operations also result in around 600,000 tons of trees being cut each year, and these figures are increasing as there is no legislation that bans or limits such activities that can damage the environment. In exploration and drilling activities, environmental challenges must be addressed, Mohammad-Ali Emadi said.
Oil and gas activities have serious impacts on large areas of the sea, the seabed and also on land. This applies to all phases from exploration and field development to well drilling, production and decommissioning.
Unless performed with care, seismic surveying can injure organisms in the immediate vicinity. The activity may also harm fish and marine mammals. Therefore, seismic surveying must be conducted when there are no known sensitive organisms in the area.
Discharges can be high during well drilling and production phases. In addition, extensive work on the seabed is often required before platforms, subsea installations and pipelines can be installed. These may include leveling, trenching and dumping of rock waste.
When fields are closed down and decommissioned, the installations in principle should be sent onshore, according to international regulations. This can result in further disturbance of the seabed.
Runoffs from petroleum processing and petrochemical plants may also dump tons of toxic wastes into nearby waters.
