ONGC well blowout: Gas leak continues for 5th day, 'most experienced' team engaged

Sivasagar: Energy major ONGC on Monday said it has deployed the "most experienced" Crisis Management Team (CMT) to control the leakage of gas, which continued for the fifth day after a blowout at a crude oil well in Assam's Sivasagar district.

The district administration said that air pollution is still within the acceptable limit and the local office of Pollution Control Board, Assam (PCBA) is closely monitoring the situation.

The blowout began on June 12 at Well No RDS 147 of Rig No SKP 135 of Rudrasagar oil field of ONGC at Barichuk of Bhatiapar. A private firm, SK Petro Services, was operating the well on behalf of the state-run Maharatna company.

"ONGC has deployed its most experienced Crisis Management Team (CMT), a team with a proven track record in managing complex well control operations, to contain the gas leakage at Well RDS#147. The operation is being closely and continuously monitored by ONGC's top management," the company said in a statement.

Geological challenges are inherent to oil and gas operations and the premier energy company follows stringent safety protocols, it added.

"ONGC is making all out efforts to bring the gas leak under complete control at the earliest," the company said.

The company, in coordination with the district administration, undertook the safe evacuation of affected families and has been providing them with shelter, food, drinking water and other essential daily supplies.

Because of the blowout, around 1,500 people have been affected and 70 families were shifted to a relief camp set up in nearby Bangaon, and all necessary arrangements are being made to ensure their welfare and well-being.

"To safeguard public health, ONGC has established free round-the-clock medical camps staffed with doctors and equipped with essential medicines, as part of its comprehensive emergency response," the statement said.

The company said that it is maintaining continuous communication with all stakeholders, including the district and police administrations, media and local community leaders, to ensure transparency and swift action.

"ONGC is grateful to the government, the local residents and the media for their continuous support and seeks further cooperation from all stakeholders till this situation is normalised," it added.

Meanwhile, the office of the Sivasagar District Commissioner in a Facebook post said that the local PCBA unit has established machines at the blowout site to study the air quality and oversee other pollution levels.

"According to the test reports by experts on the level of pollution in the atmosphere, the air pollution is still within tolerable limits," it added.

Measures have been taken to reduce the spread of compounds in the exhaust gas into the atmosphere by continuously pumping water at high pressure from the Dikhou river which flows near the rig.

The well has not caught fire yet and no one is injured in the incident, while all emergency services have been pressed in the area, a company official said.

An ONGC official had earlier said that it was an old crude well without production and a perforation job was going on for zone transfer at the time of the blowout.

"It is a kind of servicing of the well. The production was supposed to start from a new zone after the perforation job. At the time of the incident, the logging perforation operation was going on. Suddenly gas started coming out in an uncontrolled manner immediately after the perforation, leading to the blowout," he had added.