Butcher Island: ‘Black rain’ in Uran, residents point to island fire; samples sent for tests

Smoke still rises up from Butcher Island Off Coast on Monday four days after a major fire in fuel storage tanks. (Express Photo: Janak Rathod)

As Uran received heavy rain on Saturday, the residents were in for a surprise as they received ‘black rainfall’. With the unusual phenomenon continuing on Sunday, residents pointed to the fire at nearby Butcher Island as a probable cause. “We have been receiving black rainfall for the last two days now. It is like royal blue ink dissolved in water, but when you collect it in vessels it looks black,” said Samir Surve, a resident of Chanjegaon in Uran.

Uran tahsildar Kalpana Gode has collected the samples and sent them to labs for testing. “We have sent the rainwater samples to the water testing lab in Pen, to a forensic lab in Kalwa and to a Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) lab in Belapur. We will know the reason for this kind of rainfall only after the tests are conducted,” said Gode.

A diesel tank with a capacity of 30,000 KL had caught fire Friday at Butcher Island. The fire is still raging. The island is a 10-15-minute ride away in a boat from Uran.  “We could see the fire raging on the island from a nearby hill. It looks like the fumes have caused the rain to turn black. Now that the fire is under control, the rain may return to its original colour,” added Surve.