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, and resulted in three deaths (Officially), large-scale local evacuations, and environmental damage to the nearby Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and Maguri-Motapung Wetland.
The blowout was "killed" on 15 November 2020, 173 days after the blowout, with a technique called snubbing. Subsequently, Well No. 5 was abandoned on 3 December 2020. 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. 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.
Background
Location and environmental conditions The Baghjan Oil Field is located in Tinsukia district in the State of Assam, near Baghjan village, which has a resident population of 4,488 persons. The nearest towns are Doom Dooma and Tinsukia.
Baghjan Oil Field is located near the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park in Assam, and is also in proximity to Maguri Motapung Beel, a natural wetland. Dibru-Saikhowa National Park is the only riverine island wildlife reserve, globally. It contains a variety of rare and endangered species, including the Gangetic dolphin, which is endangered, as well as herds of wild horses, tigers, capped langurs, hoolock gibbons, slow loris, and several rare butterflies and fish. The Dibru-Saikhowa National Park is also connected to Namdapha National Park via the Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary. These regions are part of the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot. Baghjan Well No. 5, from which the leak occurred, is located at a distance of 900 meters from the park and adjoins a buffer forested region surrounding the park. It is also close to the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot.
On 18 January 2020, the Central Government exempted all oil and gas firms conducting exploratory drilling from legal requirements for environmental clearances. Prior to the leak, in 2020, the region witnessed protests after the Government of India announced that they had authorized Oil India Limited (OIL) to explore the area under Dibru-Saikhowa National Park for hydrocarbons.
During May 2020, prior to and during the leak, Tinsukia district in Assam experienced heavy rains and flooding in two local rivers, Dibru and Lohit. The region was also placed in lockdown, following the COVID-19 pandemic in India.
Environmental authorizations A subsequent investigation by Assam's State Pollution Control Board found that Oil India Limited had begun drilling at the Baghjan Oil Field without obtaining prior environmental clearances in accordance with legal requirements under the Water (Prevention of Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, Air (Prevention of Control of Pollution) Act 1981 and Environment Protection Act, 1986. Oil India Limited had also failed to conduct mandatory public hearings before beginning drilling.
The Eco-Sensitive Zone around Dibru-Saikhowa National Park was reduced in size at the request of Oil India Limited in order to allow the well to be established. In 2013, the Baghjan Oil Field was inspected by a team from the National Board for Wildlife, which criticised the Government of India for ratifying the breach of wildlife norms after Oil India Limited had already begun operating in an eco-sensitive zone.
Prior leaks In 2005, a blowout at an Oil India Limited well in Dikom in Assam resulted in the evacuation of 500 families. The leak subsequently caught fire, as well.
On 3 February 2020 near Naharkatia in Assam, a stretch of the Burhi Dihing river, which is a tributary to the Brahmaputra river, caught fire after a punctured pipeline carrying crude oil from the Oil India Limited headquarters at Duliajan in Assam leaked, covering the water with a film of oil. The fire burned for a period of 48 hours before the leak was repaired and it could be extinguished. Oil India Limited officials stated that a technical error with their instruments had caused shut off valves in a storage tank to close, resulting in pressure building up in a pipeline carrying crude oil. This caused several leaks in the pipeline. Oil India Limited Officials blamed local residents for causing the fire, and stated that a number of leaks had previously occurred, as parts of attempts to steal quantities of crude oil from the delivery pipeline. The Central Pollution Control Board had directed Assam's State Pollution Control Board to investigate the damage to aquatic life and local environment caused by the leak.
Drilling at Baghjan 5 Well The Baghjan Oil Field has 21 active wells, of which 4 produce natural gas, while the remaining produce oil. Baghjan Oil Field's Well No. 5 was established in 2006 and produces natural gas. It drills down to a depth of 3,870 meters, and was producing between 80,000 and 100,000 standard cubic meters of gas per day before the leak. Drilling at the Baghjan 5 well, where the leak occurred, was being outsourced to an Ahmedabad-based firm, John Energy. In May 2020, a new reservoir was being tapped for additional production at a depth of 3,729 meters, with workover operations taking place In addition, the infrastructure for the previous reservoir was being serviced, due to which production had been temporarily stopped. A device for pressure control, known as a blowout preventer, had been temporarily uninstalled while the extraction assembly was being serviced.
In April 2020, following a lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in India, Oil India Limited suspended drilling at several of the wells in the Baghjan Oil Field, primarily because of the unavailability of employees.
On 20 May 2020, before the leak, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change announced that they would be authorizing exploration for hydrocarbons under the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, at seven different locations. Oil India Limited stated that they would be using Extended Reach Drilling (ERD) to explore these wells without entering the National Park itself. Baghjan Oil Well 5, at which the leak occurred, will be one of the bases on which the ERD will extend under the National Park.
Blowout, leak, and fire
Initial occurrence On 27 May 2020, at 10:30 a.m., residents of Baghjan village in Assam reported hearing a loud sound from the nearby Baghjan Oil Field. Reports of the sound of the explosion were also confirmed from residents of Tinsukia town, which is located at a distance of 12 kilometres from the Oil Field. Local newspaper, the Sentinel, reported local accounts indicating that the gushing of natural gas from the well continued to produce an audible sound over the next few days.
Although production had been temporarily stopped at Baghjan's Well No. 5 to explore a new sand, and to service the well, workers noticed that gas was escaping from the capped well, and had begun to evacuate the Oil Field before the incident. At 10:30 a.m, the blowout occurred, resulted in the leak of natural gas from the well, and causing a complete suspension in operations. Oil India Limited's official statement indicated that the well had "suddenly became very active" while workover operations were ongoing.
OIL officials confirmed that the leak occurred from the existing sand which had been capped to allow exploration of the new sand. This resulted in a "fountain of crude oil" from the sand.
The leaked gas consisted of a naturally occurring mix of propane, methane, propylene and other gases.
Fires On 9 June 2020, Well No. 5 caught fire after efforts to cap the leak were unsuccessful. An official from Oil India Limited stated, "We cannot say how and why it happened," in regard to the fire, also noting that fires, in the case of a blowout, were not unexpected. The fire occurred at the plinth of the well while cleaning operations were under way. Following the fire, people who had not yet been evacuated from the local area left, as the fire spread to local grasslands. The fire quickly spread to a larger area and burned down nearby trees, crops and houses. 4 persons were injured, and 50 houses destroyed in the resulting fire. The Tinsukia District Collector stated that the condensate from the gas leak in surrounding areas had made the locale more vulnerable to fire and had allowed the fire to spread faster.
On 10 June 2020, two firefighters, Durlov Gogoi and Tikheswar Gohain died fighting the fire. Their bodies were recovered from a water body near the site.
Recently on 21 July 2020, an explosion occurred as the well number 5 and three foreign experts were injured in the incident.
Evacuation Following the leak, 1610 local families, consisting of approximately 3000 persons were evacuated to relief camps. A safety zone consisting of a 1.5 km radius around the well was established. The National Disaster Relief Force was deployed to establish the relief camps. In addition to local residents, employees of Oil India Limited and their families were also evacuated from the area. The Indian Air Force and Indian Army also provided assistance.
Environmental damage State Pollution Control Board officials stated that the leaked gas condensate had affected local agricultural crops and plants, including bamboo, tea, bananas and betel nuts. Wind conditions had carried the leaked gas towards the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park as well.
On 29 May 2020, the carcass of a Gangetic dolphin covered in condensated oil was found in the Maguri Motapung Beel, a local wetland, and sent for a post-mortem by the Tinsukia Wildlife Division, to establish the cause of death. Wildlife Division officials noted that because of rain immediately following the leak, local waterbodies had been contaminated by condensate from the leak. On 31 May 2020, Assam Government officials confirmed that the State Pollution Control Board was investigating environmental damage as a result of the leak. Following the leak, the State Forest Department had also asked Oil India Limited to account for its actions after reports of dead fish in local waterbodies.
On 5 June 2020, local residents protested near the Maguri Motapung Beel wetland, calling for the protection of the ecologically sensitive Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, to mark World Environment Day, and called for compensation for their loss of livelihoods as a result of the leak.
Efforts to contain and stem the leak
Initial response Operations at Baghjan Oil Field were suspended following the blowout and leakage of natural gas. OIL (Oil India Limited) requested assistance from the Crisis Management Team of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation of India. IOC initially attempted to install a blowout preventer to bring the leak under control. OIL also sprayed the area with water. On 30 May 2020, four days after the initial leak, a spokesperson from Oil India Limited confirmed that "The well control operation is yet to start." Oil India Limited officials also stated that the process of controlling the well would take time, and that they were currently making arrangements to secure a water supply to help mitigate the leak.
Attempts to cap the well
Placing a blowout preventer