The Baghjan blow out of the Oil India limited shall take more than a fortnight as Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today spoke to Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
The blow out experts are being flown in by OIL from across India and abroad but it is a very delicate operation and one spark will be catastrophic, said an OIL senior officer.
Mr Sonowal sought immediate remedial measures to the petroleum minister and assured all possible support in this regard.
Sonowal in a tweet wrote, "Spoke to Union Petroleum Minister Shri @dpradhanbjp ji regarding the gas explosions at oilfields in Baghjan, Tinsukia and sought immediate remedial measures. Glad to inform that Pradhan ji has assured all possible support in this regard."
Moreover, the inmates of Baghjan relief camp, who took shelter after the blowout, are spending sleepless nights as gas and oil are emitting from the site. Around 4,000 people including elderly men, women, and children have taken shelter at a nearby school at Baghjan.
The blowout occurred at the Baghjan-5 well at 10.30 am on Wednesday. A blowout is the uncontrolled release of crude oil or gas from a well when pressure control systems fail.
The workover operations were being carried out by Chartered Hire Rig owned by M/s John Energy under the supervision of OIL.
This is the biggest blow out after Dikom blow out which occurred some 11 years back.
Although the situation is undercontrol as it has not caught fire, locals alleged that the OIL activities inthe area have been affecting the aquatic animals including rare Gangeticdolphins at Dibru River, rare species of migrant avian at Maguri-Motapung Beeland wildlife in Dibru Saikhowa National Park.
However, the Tinsukia districtadministration has also made arrangements in collaboration with OIL for foodand other requirements for the people who have been shifted to relief camps.
Locals also said that as it has posed threat to nature, aquatic animals, and people, they will not allow the OIL to carry out any activities until they ensure the safety of the people as well as the wildlife. They also demanded a high-level inquiry into the incident.
