Press Release

Report Date: 01-06-2020

Blowout in Gas Well of Oil India Limited at Baghjan, Tinsukia District, Assam

CMD visits well site and relief camps on 31st May, 2020. He holds discussions with District

Administration, Tinsukia District and also holds press meets at Tinsukia and Duliajan.

On 27-05-2020 at around 10:30 AM, the Gas Producing well of Baghjan#5 under Baghjan

Oilfield of OIL had suddenly become very active while work-over operation was on. There is

no incident of any Fire/Causality/Damage/Injury.

Status of the well: Well is flowing Gas Uncontrollably

• Crisis Management Team (CMT) members approached the well head taking all

precautionary measures and opened the casing valve and started pumping water

through the casing valve. Water is being pumped continuously through the valve into

the Well head.

• OIL has also contacted Global Expert to control the blowout. Offers with action plan

and time line received from 3 Global Experts (Boots and Coots, Alert and Wild Well

Control)in Well Control Operation are being examined and under consideration.

• Safety of surrounding villagers and their properties, working team and protection of

the environment is paramount while carrying out the Well Control Operation.

• Placement of water pumps in the nearby river (source of water) and pipeline laying

jobs are in progress for additional high quantity of water.

• Additional plot of land adjacent to the well site has been arranged to create a big

reservoir of water and to place the Well Control equipment. Excavation of the pond

will be started from today.

• OIL fire service and with mutual aids are stationed 24x7 at site since 27-05-2020 for

continuously water jacketing the well to avert any eventuality. Gas and air quality are

being monitored at constant interval.

• Around Six Hundred & Fifty (650) families (2500 persons) have been evacuated from

the nearby affected areas and are camped in three relief camps set up at (i) Baghjan

Dighulturrang M.E School. (ii) St. Joseph School - Baghjan Tea Estate and (iii) Gateline

LP School, Dighultarrang. All necessary supports for stay, food (including baby food),

water, toilets, electricity and medical have been provided at the relief camps with

support from District Administration and local organizations. A team of officials from

OIL is at site to look after the relief camps. Ambulance with Para-Medical staffs are

kept as standby. Alternate relief camp at Bandarkhati High School, Bandarkhata

Village has been kept ready as standby relief camp to accommodate more people, if

required.

• Feeds for cattle are arranged through State Veterinary Department.

CMD’s visit Shri Sushil Chandra Mishra, CMD, OIL along with Dr. P. Chandrasekaran, Director (Exploration

& Development), Shri P. K. Goswami, Director (Operations), Shri D. K. Das, Resident Chief

Executive, Shri Prasanta Barkakaty, ED(HR&A) along with other senior officials of OIL had a

detailed meeting with Shri Bhaskar Pegu, DC, Tinsukia district and Shri Shiladitya Chetia, SP,

Tinsukia on the issue of well blowout at Baghjan and various measures taken to provide

necessary support to the evacuated local population in the vicinity of the blow out well. CMD,

OIL shared the present status and various actions taken by Oil India Ltd to mitigate the

situation.

This was followed by a press meet organized at the DC office, Tinsukia. Addressing the media

persons from Tinsukia District, CMD gave the latest update on the present situation at the

blowout well. Replying to the queries of the journalists, CMD elaborated the action taken by

Oil India Ltd to control the blowout at the earliest. He also informed the press that Oil India

Ltd is very grateful to the state government and district administration and the Minister of

Petroleum and Natural Gas, Govt. of India for all the support in this moment of crisis. He

expressed his grief on the hardships that the local population is facing due to this

unprecedented situation. He assured the media that OIL is taking all possible measures to

ensure the health and safety of the local people impacted in the vicinity of the blowout well.

Replying to the queries on the environment and the impact on the local flora & fauna, CMD

informed the media that the Forest Dept., District Administration and OIL are taking stock of

the issues in all earnest.

After the press meet, CMD along with DC Tinsukia, SP Tinsukia and the OIL contingent visited

the well site at Baghjan. CMD had detailed discussion with the experts of OIL and ONGC at

the site. This was followed by visit to the relief camps set up near the well site. CMD had a

detailed interaction with the local people who expressed their agony and hardships. CMD

assured that OIL will take all possible care to provide them necessary compensation. He

expressed Oil India’s gratitude to the local residents of the area for their patience and

enduring the challenges. He also assured that Oil India is doing the best it can to control the

well at the earliest. He also informed that Oil India is also in discussion with foreign experts

and will bring them to the site if necessary. CMD thanked Tinsukia DC and SP Tinsukia for all

the support.

Press Meet at Duliajan on 1st June 2020 CMD also had a Press Meet at Duliajan where he apprised local journalists about the present status of the situation. He informed that OIL has already given show cause to M/s John Energy Pvt Limited and actions will also be initiated on employees of OIL if there is any prima facie evidence of human error for which a five member inquiry committee has been formed. He also assured the media that OIL is equally concerned about the reported impact on the bio diversity of the area for which OIL is awaiting the observations and findings of District

Administration, Forest department, Pollution Control Board so that all necessary steps can be taken. OIL’s Safety and Environment department are continuously monitoring the ground situation and shall also engage an expert agency for monitoring the environmental impact due to the blow out. CMD reaffirmed the fact that OIL is not carrying out any operations within the Eco Sensitive Zone (ESZ). All operations of OIL are being carried out outside the ESZ (as published vide gazette notification dated 28 January, 2020 by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).

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