New Delhi: The Petroleum Ministry has constituted a three-member high-level committee to inquire into the blowout at an Oil India Ltd (OIL) well in Assam. In the subsequent fire that followed from the Oil India well two firefighters were killed and one was injured. The panel will be headed by SCL Das, Director General of Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH), a ministry order said. It will ‘identify the lapses in following laid down protocols and procedures which led to the incident’, it added.
The committee will also recommend short and long-term measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents. It will also try and identify any gaps in laid down standard operating procedure.
The panel also includes former ONGC chairman BC Bora and former NGC director TK Sengupta. It will submit its report within one month, the order said.
“Natural gas mixed with condensate started flowing uncontrollably from one of the wells of OIL in Baghjan fields in Tinsukia district of Assam May 27, 2020 leading to a blowout. The well caught fire on June 8, 2020,” the order stated.
OIL said Thursday that the fire has since been contained to the well and it is trying to put out the fire. Except at the well plinth area, the fire around the site has been extinguished. However, the burning of gas at the well mouth will continue till the well is capped.
The ministry said it ‘is fully cognisant to the gravity of the situation developing in Baghjan’. It is committed for the safety and well-being of people in Assam.
The ministry had stated June 10 that the well will be capped by following the advice of experts. All safety precautions will be taken.
“While the clearing operations were going on at the well site, the well caught fire June 9, 2020, around noontime. It resulted in spreading the fire in an area of about 200 metres around the well site,” OIL had said. The cause of the fire has not been ascertained till now.
The fire in around 200 metres periphery had completely burnt about 15 houses, while another 10-15 houses have been partially affected.
According to OIL, three firemen, two from OIL India, and one from ONGC jumped in a water pool nearby when the fire broke out. While ONGC fireman was injured, the two OIL India firemen could not save themselves. Their bodies were later retrieved.