Visuals courtesy: Papul Gogoi
An oil and gas rig operated by Oil India Limited in the Dighaltarang area under Baghjan village of Tinsukia district spewed out crude oil, gases and condensates uncontrollably for close to three hours on Tuesday night.
The leak as experienced in the oil rig situated close to the banks of the Dangori River that flows through Dibru Saikhowa National Park left a trail of destruction damaging houses of tea garden workers, water bodies, agricultural fields and tea gardens.
Although a team of experts from OIL immediately swung into action and plugged the oil well by closing a valve, around 600 residents living close to the rig are wary of returning to their homes remembering the 2020 Baghjan blowout and oil fire that decimated the region.
Sumi Gowala (29), a resident of the ‘Labour Line’ situated in the Dighaltarang Tea Estate is terrified of returning to her house. “After a large explosion, there was a rain of oil on our houses. Our entire area had a strong stench of kerosene. I just packed whatever I could grab and ran with others to seek shelter in the Community Hall of the tea estate,” Gowala said.
According to village residents, around 600 people were impacted by the blowout. “Our house is covered with a layer of oil-like substance which may catch fire. People here faced a similar situation a few years back when a big fire from an oil rig destroyed a part of the Baghjan village,” Gowala, a mother of two, added.
According to OIL officials, the incident happened around 11:30 PM in a production oil well, BGN 24. “A team of experts along with fire services quickly assessed the area and took the appropriate measures to fully contain the gas leak. It might have occurred due to a technical snag. By 2:20 AM, the leak was contained. We are investigating the actual cause of the leak and the extent of the losses. An enquiry is underway as we speak,” Bhairab Bhuyan, the spokesperson for OIL told EastMojo.
“Upon examination, a hole was observed on the flow path from the X-mass tree and
the same is under investigation. Gas and crude oil had spread out over nearby areas
located within approximately 100 m from the wellsite,” Bhuyan added.
The Doomdooma administrative circle officials who were present on the site after the incident said that the leakage from the oil well consisting of condensates, crude oil and gases spread over an area with a radius of 200 to 250 metres around the rig.
“No one was hurt during the incident. The people have moved to safety. We are conducting an assessment of the damage,” the official added. Tinsukia DC, Swapnaneel Paul told EastMojo that the situation is under control. “We are conducting an enquiry and coordinating with OIL to know more about the situation,” Paul added.
Manoj Hazarika, the Baghjan village gaonburha (village elder) said the damage to water bodies, tea gardens and agricultural farms is now being assessed. “However, the people have become wary of oil production wells. After the 2020 blowout and fire, our people live in fear. Such incidents only make matters worse as our village cannot afford another blowout or a leak. We want a solution for the people,” Hazarika told EastMojo.
Locals fear the damage such leakages are causing to the paddy and tea gardens will be long-lasting. Papul Gogoi, the secretary of Baghjan Milanjyoti Sangha told EastMojo that the previous incident which impacted around 11,000 in 2020 made the community aware of the harmful toxins that condensate and crude oil contain.
Gogoi’s assertion echoes the WII report that found one of the highest concentrations of carcinogenic Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in India in an open field in the village after the Baghjan disaster.
PAHs are chemical compounds that can easily bind with organic material leading to widespread contamination in an ecosystem impacted by oil spills. “Despite the 2020 blowout disaster, OIL authorities have not woken up to the dangers of the extraction in our villages. Even as the Supreme Court of India and the National Green Tribunal are hearing our cases, OIL has been setting up new rigs in our area. How many disasters will it take for them to realize our vulnerability?” Gogoi added.
At present, the residents of Baghjan and Natun Rongagora have been fighting a compensation case in the Supreme Court of India as well as the NGT.
Baghjan village residents claim that despite the Supreme Court and NGT’s orders, the district administration has not adequately compensated the people after the blowout of 2020. “It has been four years since we have been denied compensation for the losses we faced during the incident,” Niranta Gohain, one of the petitioners in the Supreme Court case told EastMojo.
On May 27, 2020, BGN 5, an oil and gas rig experienced a blowout during a good maintenance operation following which several metric tonnes of condensates, as well as crude oil, covered an area of 1 kilometre radius.
On June 9, the well caught fire resulting in the deaths of two firefighters from OIL, damaging several houses and leading to the displacement of 11,000 people living in the vicinity of Dibru Saikhowa National Park. The incident wiped away hundreds of birds and aquatic animals, including a critically endangered Gangetic dolphin, polluting Maguri Motapung Beel, a wetland and a source of livelihood for thousands.
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