It is time for those who have been protesting about the plight of the environment at OIL sites to approach the NGT over the Baghjan incident
The worst fears of the people in upper Assam’s Baghjan, in Tinsukia district came true on June 9 when the Oil India Limited (OIL) oil and gas well caught fire after leaking for a fortnight. The sudden blow-out resulted in the tragic death of two firefighters besides four people suffering injuries and 50 houses getting burnt. As a safety measure, 2,500 families in the vicinity of the site have been evacuated.
Blow-outs are an uncontrollable discharge of gas from a gas production well and in this case, according to the spokesperson of OIL, the incident occurred as efforts were being made to tap a new reservoir.
The gas well, a part of 23 other drills was dug in 2006 by OIL and produces about 80,000 standard cubic metres of gas per day (SCMD) from a depth of 3,870 metres and is considered as one of the most prolific gas reservoirs operated by OIL. However, this asset of OIL is now making news for all the wrong reasons. Something which the Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) is undoubtedly not very proud of right now and would like to put behind it as fast as possible. But, the fact remains that they should have foreseen something like this before they decided to drill here.
The major risk to the delicate ecology of the region is quite evident even to the layman by the fact that the gas well is situated at an aerial distance of just 900 metres from the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park (DSNP). Taking this into account, the National Wildlife Board (NWB) conducted site visits to the oil and gas wells in the proximity of the DSNP as early as 2013 and observed that the wells were operating without prior permissions and approvals were being sought only after beginning work on the projects.The NWB report clearly highlighted the inescapable consequences any disaster would have on the delicate biosphere of DSNP.
The current disaster at Baghjan has put the specific gas well under a spotlight but the need of the hour is to put all those oil and gas wells in proximity of the DSNP under a scanner and examine and review their environmental clearances and approvals. The gravity of the situation on the ground can be understood by the fact that owing to this unfortunate incident, the forest and wildlife department has decided to form a 14-member committee to assess the impact of the incident on the environment.
This is also partly due to the discovery of a dead Gangetic river dolphin, an endangered species and livestock on the wetland, which forms a part of the Eco Sensitive Zone (ESZ) of the park. This raises the pertinent question of how a PSU, which is supposed to set an example in following Government rules, ended up extracting oil and gas just 900 metres from the world’s only riverine island wildlife reserve. There is something not right here and this needs to be probed at the earliest.
Especially because DSNP is a unique biosphere comprising wetlands, grassland and riverine forests. The park exists at the confluence of the Brahmaputra, Siang, Dibang and Lohit rivers. Spread over 764 sq km, the DSNP is flush with 40 mammals, 500 species of birds, 104 species of fish, including the endangered Gangetic dolphin and 680 varieties of plants.
The importance of this natural wealth seems to have been lost on the top brass of OIL for whom it seems to be all about the business of making money. The OIL website mentions its commitment to safety, health and the environment as a part of its corporate vision but the actual situation on the ground, as demonstrated by the events at Baghjan, says otherwise. A PSU cannot set such a poor example for the industry. There have been numerous protests by the local population regarding the operations of OIL. It is time for these activists who have been protesting about the plight of the environment at OIL sites to approach the National Green Tribunal so that the efforts to preserve DSNP can be taken to a new level.
The local Government in Assam, environmentalists and activists must join hands for the sake of nature and take a stand, so that the voice of the environment is heard and numerous voiceless animals and plants are saved from the onslaught of development, which is in fact exploitation of nature’s resources. At a time when India is reeling from the impact of COVID-19, this disaster in Assam comes as a double whammy for the people who have already weathered major losses during the lockdown. Now they have emerged from the shutdown, only to find their crops damaged, houses burnt, and livestock compromised, all thanks to this blow-out.
The people at ground zero must be rehabilitated immediately and the environment restored on a fast track basis. If this is done by OIL, it will probably be the most meaningful CSR initiative the PSU would have ever undertaken.
(The writer is an environmental journalist)
