Thousands of villagers in Orissa are facing serious health risks as a “cocktail of toxic residue” leaks from an aluminium refinery, Amnesty International warned yesterday.

Amnesty said it has obtained video footage showing toxic residue spilling onto the roads from the main red mud pond of the Vedanta aluminium refinery.

Vedanta denies that any waste has leaked from the toxic reservoir and claims that any damage caused by its activities has been repaired.

Amnesty said it was “not aware of any attempts by the company to assess pollution of land and water caused by the reported leaks, or to clean up any damage that has occurred.”

There has been no response to protests from local villagers calling for the company and government authorities to prevent further leaks.

Authorities have remained quiet on the issue and the findings of a recent inspection by the State of Orissa Pollution Control Board have not been disclosed.

Ramesh Gopalakrishnan, Amnesty’s South Asia researcher, urged Vedanta and the government to take immediate action.

“With the rainy season approaching the situation is a ticking time bomb. The red mud pond poses a serious threat to the health, livelihoods and the safety of the local people,” he said.

“Vedanta must stop pumping into the red mud pond – and make clear what steps it will take to avert a potential disaster for the thousands of families who live nearby.”

Sited just one kilometre from the river Vamsadhara, the region’s chief water source, these leaks threaten the lives of an estimated four to five thousand people in 12 villages, said Amnesty.

The red mud pond harbours about 92 billion litres of toxic residue that includes radioactive elements, said the organisation.

Last year, spills from a red mud pond in Hungary which leaked into the Danube led to deaths, serious injuries and widespread environmental damage.