Assam: Weeks after Baghjan blowout, air quality, noise level monitoring carried out

Air quality monitoring was done in Baghjan on Friday and air quality and noise level monitoring has been carried out in Guijan side. This comes weeks after blowout in gas well of Oil India Limited at Baghjan in Assam. Sample of ground water and soil were also collected from these areas, read a statement.

Oil India Limited experienced a gas blowout at well number 5 at its Baghjan Oilfield, in close vicinity of Dibru Saikhowa National Park and Maguri Motapung Beel, leaving natural gas and condensate oil gushing out in the open, displacing thousands of families besides leaving an adverse impact on the biodiversity of the region. The well caught fire on June 9.

As part of TERI study on air quality and noise level, samples for monitoring air quality and noise level are being collected for analysis. Recording of data at already installed analysers is in progress. For TERI study on bioremediation of sludge, debris clearance as a part of site preparation for bio remediation job is being carried out along the roadside from the blow out well towards Maguri Beel.

READ: Efforts to douse blaze at Oil India's Baghjan gas well in Assam hampered due to flooding

READ: Assam: Baghjan gas well site flooded; all work to douse fire on hold

Baghjan-5 well incident

Set up by Oil India Limited in 2006, the Baghjan-5 well produces around 80,000 standard cubic metres per day of gas from a depth of 3,870 metres. The blowout at this well occurred on May 27 when two simultaneous operations- servicing of the top portion of the well and testing new sand in the well were going on. At least one dolphin and a variety of fish died as the residue of gas condensing after coming in contact with water spread to a distance of 5 km in the nearby areas. 

The well caught fire at around 1.14 pm on June 9. As per reports, the blaze was so huge that it could be seen from a distance of more than two km. The Indian Air Force deployed three fire tenders to douse the massive fire after a specific request from Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Oil India Limited (OIL) in a statement said that two of its employees, Durlov Gogoi and Tikheswar Gohain had died during the fire fighting operations. 4 other persons who sustained minor injuries were rendered immediate medical help.

READ: No oil flow from Assam's Baghjan gas well site into water bodies, says OIL India

READ: Assam: Rains affect Baghjan blowout control operations