Mangaluru: Mangalore Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) has started to shut down the refinery’s phase-III units following acute water scarcity. The shutting down of production units has given rise to fear that there might be fuel shortage in the State.

The MRPL had informed the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) last week about the partial shutdown of certain units because of the restrictions imposed by the district administration of Dakshina Kannada on the pumping of water from river Nethravati for industrial use.

The district administration suspended water supply to MRPL and other industries for seven days from 26th April, as the region is facing acute water shortage. The district administration extended the suspension on May 3 for another 10 days.

M Venkatesh, Director (Refinery) of MRPL, informed that the MRPL is now using domestic treated water and the water recycled at the plant for operations.

The MRPL had earlier shut down the FCC (fluidised catalytic cracking) and polypropylene units. But the present shutdown of units might lead fuel shortage in Karnataka.

The MRPL produces 500,000 tonnes of diesel, 100,000 tonnes of petrol and 75,000 tonnes of LPG per month.

While the shutting down of those two secondary units had minimal impact on the supply of diesel and petrol, it had brought down LPG production by 50 per cent.

In April 2012, similar situation had forced MRPL to shut down its operations.