The oil well that caught fire was damaged and was leaking for almost 14 days. On Tuesday, a team of experts from Singapore arrived to plug the leakage.
Tinsukia| The oil well of the state gas company Oil India Limited in Tinsukia district of Assam caught fire. The skies were covered in dense smoke massive flames blared. The flames can be seen even from two Kilometers away. The fire erupted two weeks after the reports of a leak from the oil well surfaced. The well is situated in Baghjan Area of Tinsukia district. The damaged well is located next to the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park.
Two employees of Oil India Limited died in the incident. Their bodies were recovered today by NDRF team.
Considering the urgency of the situation, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has sought the help of the Air Force. The Chief Minister has spoken to the Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh regarding taking necessary steps to douse the fire.
The visuals coming from #BaghjanOilField is so pathetic. Already more than 50 houses have burnt down and over 3 thousand people were shifted from the surrounding are. People and animals are suffering #DibruSaikhowa is now endangered.
Let's Pray for #Baghjan @akshaykumar pic.twitter.com/04dYMhgmRR— Chinmay Chakrabarty (@chinmoy_ac) June 9, 2020
Chief Minister Sonowal had also called Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to inform about the magnitude of the accident. Sonowal has demanded early steps to control the situation.
Meanwhile, Oil India Limited has issued a statement regarding the incident. A company spokesperson said that there was no information about how and when the fire occurred. A team of NDRF is present on the spot for relief work.
Gas Leak Continued For Two Weeks
According to reports, the well that caught fire was damaged and was leaking for almost 14 days. Oil India Limited and the local administration were keeping an eye on it. However, for two weeks there were no serious efforts made to actively contain the oil leakage. On Tuesday, a team of experts from Singapore arrived to oversee the leakage. At the time of the accident, the expert team was not present at the site.
#BaghjanGasLeak
Hope everyone is fine there in assam #BaghjanOilField #BaghjanFire pic.twitter.com/aBprhrHpuq— Tarun (@Tarun92237988) June 9, 2020
Villagers Evacuated
As the fire erupted from the well, roaring sounds and large explosions could be heard creating panic among locals. The fast-spreading fire has gutted several houses. Several Kilometers of vegetation has also burnt. Close to 1600 families were shifted from the area to safety. Earlier, videos of carcassed river dolphin and dead fishland vegetation went viral on social media highlighting the impact of the fire on the biodiversity.
Meanwhile, protests have also broken out in nearby areas over lack of social distancing facilities in the shelter homes where the villagers have been shifted.
This is Heart breaking!
Only farmers can feel this pain! #PrayForBaghjan #Baghjan#BaghjanGasLeak #BaghjanOilField #BaghjanFire pic.twitter.com/toqeGc3Lb7
— বৰষা’♪ (@ai_seng_) June 10, 2020
#baghjanoilleak made the whole environment of the area lifeless. After taking the lives of various species now took lives of two innocent people #BaghjanGasLeak #BaghjanOilField #BaghjanFire pic.twitter.com/SG9dYVcF2V
— Rajkamal (@rajkamal_bora) June 10, 2020
Four Weeks To Douse Fire:
“Emergency meetings are underway with the expert team. They have expressed it is now a safe environment for working and are confident that the situation can be controlled and the well capped safely,” OIL said in a statement. As per the company, it will take at least four weeks to douse the inferno. However, locals fear of more destruction by then.
Congress’s sharp attack on BJP
Gaurav Gogoi, MP and Congress leader from Kaliabor in Assam tweeted, “Due to the inaction of BJP government in Assam and Delhi, the same oil well of Oil India has caught fire twice. Self-sufficiency and Act East policy is only on paper.”
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