Agartala, Dec 11 (TIWN / IANS) An oil spill at a hydel project in Tripura has forced the authorities to shut down many water treatment plants, causing a serious drinking water crisis, an official said here Thursday.

"The oil spill in the Gomti river begun last week. Engineers of TSECL (Tripura State Electricity Corporation Ltd) immediately rushed to the Gomti hydro electric project and stopped the oil leakage," a company official said.

"The oil spill was again noticed Tuesday in the Gomti river. The drinking water and sanitation (DWS) department closeed down many water treatment plants in Gomti and Sipahijala districts," he said

"The DWS department is now providing potable water through water tankers."

The engineers and technical experts of TSECL, DWS and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) are working round the clock to identify the cause of the oil spill.

ONGC's Tripura asset manager V.P. Mahawar said that the corporation did not drill any well in and around Gomti river basin and there is no possibility of an oil spill from their drilling sites.

There are many water treatment plants in Amarpur, Udaipur, Bishalgarh and Sonamura sub-divisions under Gomti and Sipahijala districts where water is supplied fromGomati river.

The Gomti river along with seven other rivers in Tripura flows to Bangladesh. The 10 MW capacity Gomti hydel power project was commissioned in 1974.