2020 Assam gas and oil leak

2020 Assam gas and oil leak
Date27 May 2020
Duration6 months
LocationBaghjan Oilfield, Tinsukia district, Assam, India
Coordinates27°36′14″N 95°24′18″E / 27.604°N 95.405°E / 27.604; 95.405
Also known asBaghjan gas leak
CauseNatural gas leak, which later caught fire
OutcomeLeak has been controlled and sealed
Deaths3

The 2020 Assam gas and oil leak, also referred as the Baghjan gas leak, was a blowout and methane leak that happened in Oil India Limited's Baghjan Oilfield in Tinsukia district, Assam, India on 27 May 2020. The blowout occurred at Well No. 5 in the Baghjan Oil Field, resulting in a leak of natural gas. The leaking well subsequently caught fire on 9 June 2020,[1] and resulted in three deaths (Officially), large-scale local evacuations, and environmental damage to the nearby Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and Maguri-Motapung Wetland.[2][3][4]

The blowout was "killed" on 15 November 2020, 173 days after the blowout, with a technique called snubbing.[1] Subsequently, Well No. 5 was abandoned on 3 December 2020.[5] An investigation by a committee appointed by the National Green Tribunal revealed in November 2020 that Oil India Limited had failed to obtain legally required clearances to operate the oil field at Baghjan, and had failed to comply with provisions of environmental laws as well as with internal safety procedures in relation to drilling at the oil field.[6] The findings reiterated a report by the Assam State Pollution Control Board, which had also reported that Oil India Limited did not obtain the necessary clearances before drilling.[7]

  1. ^ a b "Baghjan blowout well sealed fully". The Hindu. 16 November 2020. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Massive blast at oil field in Assam's Tinsukia district". India Today. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  3. ^ "Assam gas leak: why it's tough to plug, and what threat it poses to the area". The Indian Express. 8 June 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  4. ^ Scroll Staff. "Assam: Oil India says well still leaking gas 'uncontrollably', over a week after major blowout". Scroll.in. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  5. ^ Singh, Bikash. "Oil India Limited announces final abandonment of Baghjan oil well". The Economic Times. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  6. ^ "NGT committee renders entire Baghjan oil field illegal". www.downtoearth.org.in. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :19 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).