The Baghjan Well no. 5 operated by Oil India Limited (OIL) witnessed another explosion on July 22, in which as many as three foreign experts were said to be injured. The incident took place when efforts to douse the blowout fire were underway, reported ANI. The experts have been rushed to the hospital, said Tridip Hazarika, spokesperson OIL in a statement.

Assam: An explosion occurred near well no.5 of Oil India in Baghjan, Tinsukia. 3 foreign experts at the site injured. They have been rushed to hospital. The incident occurred when operations to douse the fire at Baghjan oil field was going on. The operation has been halted now. https://t.co/d8mzsmwdPc pic.twitter.com/0azjUzRRrR

— ANI (@ANI) July 22, 2020

It was reported that experts from US and Canada who had joined officials from Singapore’s Alert Disaster Control for well capping operations, were injured in the incident. The fire at the Baghjan well no. 5 has been raging since June 9 following a gas blowout.

Experts had wished to exit operations

The Hindu had reported that a few days prior to this incident, the six experts working to control the fire had conveyed that they wanted to exit the operations. It was said that they were however virtually held captive in torrential rains after locals had blocked all exits from the Baghjan blowout site to demand compensation for one of the residents who had allegedly ended his life due to delay in receiving compensation.

Sukleshwar Neog, a 45-year-old fish farmer had allegedly died by suicide due to mental harassment and reported delays in receiving compensation from authorities. His family and relatives had refused to accept his mortal remains and staged a road blockade to get the administration to meet their demands.

After intense negotiations with the locals, in a written assurance, the Tinsukia District Administration had said that the interim financial compensation to those affected by the Baghjan gas well blowout will be resolved by July 27, The Telegraph reported. A total of 1,751 families have been identified as affected and residents have demanded that the district administration pay Rs. 20 lakh to each family as ‘advance compensation’, reported The Telegraph.

The administration also agreed to provide Neog’s kin Rs. 10 lakh in compensation, a government / OIL job to his widow or next of kin and also agreed to bear the educational expenses of his five daughters.

Issues that the blowout brings to the fore

The Baghjan oil well blowout and the subsequent fire has brought many issues to the fore.

Safety during the pandemic – Two months on, most families are yet to receive compensation from OIL and the administration. However, what is more pressing is that almost 9,000 people are choking in relief camps, especially during the coronavirus pandemic which calls for social distancing.

People in the relief camps have been getting food, but complain of unhygienic conditions there. Speaking to the Logical Indian, an inmate said that there were no clean toilets and bathrooms and that people had been living and sleeping in the same set of clothes for days.

Threat to jobs and livelihood – Residents have been robbed of their jobs and livelihoods and since the fire has not been contained, there is no way to ascertain when people would be able to resume normal lives. Crops and water bodies have been affected and eco-tourism in the area too now stands impacted for a long time to come. 

Environmental impact and questionable clearances – The blowout has had a severe impact on the ecology of the region. The Maguri Motapung Beel and Dibru-Saikhowa National Park are under threat due to their close proximity to the blowout site. However, what is most concerning is that even while the fire at the gas blowout site has not been contained, three more proposals by OIL for environmental clearance are up for consideration by the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA). Down To Earth reported that these proposals for oil and gas exploration were submitted on May 4, June 8 and June 19 respectively. These proposals are likely to be passed as all on and offshore oil and gas exploration projects are being considered as B2, i.e. not requiring public hearing under EIA 2006.

In 2016, OIL extended its drilling and testing to seven new locations at the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, bypassing the rule for public hearings to be undertaken for operations inside protected forests. It had instead asked the environment ministry to take into account the hearings that had taken place on July 8 and August 26, 2011, The Wire had reported.

This year, during the lockdown in April, it reported that OIL got environment clearances for USD 141 billion (INR 10.67 billion) for its proposal to have 16 wells and four production installations at Mechaki, on the other bank of the Brahmaputra. It is also seeking clearance for 179 wells and production installations with an investment of INR 35 billion in North Hapjan, Tinsukia and Dhola districts.

In June, the Assam Pollution Control Board had issued a closure notice to OIL asking it to stop its production and drilling operations at the Baghjan oilfield, alleging that it hadn’t taken prior consent to operate. However, the notice was subsequently withdrawn in pursuance of the affidavit submitted by OIL under some conditions. It was also attributed that Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal had an “indirect role” in resolving the issue out of court. The official said that Sonowal referred to OIL as a “national institution” and the fact that he highlighted OIL’s importance for gas supplies “clearly conveyed he was not in favour of closure”.

Sabrang India had first flagged the crisis on June 10 in an article by Dr. Hiren Gohain, The Price of Profit, OIL’s misadventure threatens Tinsukhia’s reserve forests & wild life sanctuaries which highlighted the Government of India’s sinister ploy to use the lockdown for granting environmental clearances to OIL’s drilling in Assam which endangered human and natural life. The very next day, Sabrang India had also reported of Pradip Saikia, a retired scientist, telling TV Channel Asomiya Pratidin about how political executives ignored the red flags raised in the matter.

Related:

National Green Tribunal slaps Rs. 25 crore fine on Oil India Limited for gas well blowout
Assam Pollution Control Board withdraws closure notice served to Oil India Limited

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Even eight days after the Baghjan oil well was engulfed in flames on June 9 after a massive blowout on May 27, experts at Alert Disaster Control who were called in from Singapore, are still trying to douse the fire, Sentinel Assam reported. Oil India Limited (OIL) which runs the oil well has also sought the help of the Army to carry out the construction of a Bailey bridge over the natural pond near the well site. OIL reported that there has been a cumulative production loss of 5,844 MT of crude oil and 7.53 MMSCM of natural gas due to protests and agitations at the site.

According to OIL’s official statement, it is continuously monitoring the air and water quality, noise levels and presence of gases near the well site. It also said that Environment Assessment Impact (EIA) by ERM India Pvt. Ltd is in progress to carry out the environment and ecological survey within the vicinity of oil well, including the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and Maguri-MotapungBeel. It also said that TERI is carrying out bioremediation of sludge in OIL’s installations. After villagers experienced unexplained tremors in the area, OIL has roped in seismologists to come to the site with requisite equipment. The Assam Agricultural University has also conducted a preliminary assessment on the vegetation – plants and tea gardens and has been asked to start post-fire damage assessment to assess the damage to crops / trees / plants (paddy, tea, fruit and vegetation).

Update on blowout in Gas Well of Oil India Limited at Baghjan, Tinsukia District, Assam (17.06.2020). pic.twitter.com/Vx38mBmyml

— Oil India Limited (@OilIndiaLimited) June 17, 2020

Sabrangindia was the first to flag the ongoing crisis following the blowout at OIL on June 10. In an article by Dr HirenGohain on June 10, The Price of Profit, OIL’s misadventure threatens Tinsukhia’s reserve forests & wild life sanctuaries: Assam we had flagged the sinister ploy by the GOI, that, taking unscrupulous advantage of the opacity caused by the Covid 19 lockdown, granted environmental clearance to OIL’s drilling in Assam and thereby severely endangered human and natural life. The author had called for an Independent Inquiry into the entire mishap.

The very next day, on June 11, Sabrangindia had reported a local television channel, Assam’s AsomiyaPratidin interviewing a retired scientist with OIL who spoke of his report against drilling being ignored by the political executive.

On the same day, OIL had reported that the spread of the fire in the village had been contained and no flash fires had been reported from nearby areas. It also said that affected people had been housed in 12 relief camps and with the help of student organizations and the district administration, arrangements for their food, hygiene and lodging were made there. It mentioned that the one-time compensation amount of Rs. 30,000 for 1,610 families amounting to Rs. 4.83 crores had been deposited to the account of the district commissioner to be disbursed to them. It also mentioned the health screening of more than 2,000 people had been carried out at the camp under OIL’s CSR Project Sparsha and more than 9,000 people had been provided with hygiene kits under its Project Arogya. OIL also mentioned that it has handed over cheques of Rs. 30 lakh each to the wives of the fire fighters who lost their lives while trying to contain the flames.

On June 14, The Print reported Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister DharmendraPradhan saying that those in relief camps would be adequately compensated and the Baghjan embankment would be constructed at a cost of Rs. 27 crore. He also said that OIL would clean the Maguri-Motapung wetlands.

A ground report undertaken by News Click shows that while OIL says it’s doing its bit, the reality is quite different from what OIL portrays. Eight days later, the compensation of Rs. 30,000 hasn’t reached the affected persons. Apart from that, the locals feel that the package is too less to get them back on their feet since their livestock and farmlands have suffered due to the oil spillage and Rs. 30,000 won’t be enough to sustain in the long-term. The relief camps are also said to be a social distancing disaster among the fear of the coronavirus, with locals telling News Click that 20 people are cramped in one room and have to use make-shift toilets. 

The citizens of Assam have been protesting against OIL and the government for the situation that has emerged and against the pittance offered to those affected. Many student organizations and social organizations have come forward to help the people in relief camps. All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) Chief MaulanaBadruddinAjmal has also announced a relief package of Rs. 10 lakh each to the affected villagers, in addition to Rs. 50,000 to the families of the two OIL firefighters who passed away doing their duty.

I have asked Ajmal Foundation to provide relief to those affected by fire at Baghjan Oil Well. An amount of ₹10 lakhs have been sanctioned to carry out relief works among the affected villagers. 1/2

— Maulana Badruddin Ajmal (@BadruddinAjmal) June 16, 2020

According to media reports, OIL has suspended two of its officials for alleged negligence of duty and issued a show-cause notice to John Energy Pvt Ltd, the outsourced private operator of the gas well. An environmentalist, ApurbaBallavGoswami has also filed an FIR against OIL and John Energy under relevant sections of the IPC and the Disaster Management Act, India Today reported.

Related:

Assam: Fourteen days later massive fire breaks out at oil well in Baghjan oilfield
More on Assam’s Ecological Disaster, retd scientist Saikia speaks of Govt ignoring scientific advice against drilling at Tinsukhia
High-level probe into OIL’s Baghjan well tragedy: CM Sonowal

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