Emergency Response Activated Following Gas Leak in Sivasagar, Assam

Gas Leak Incident in Sivasagar

Sivasagar, June 14: A significant gas leak has occurred from well RDS#147A located in the Rudrasagar field near Bhatiapar in Assam's Sivasagar district, prompting immediate emergency measures. The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has commenced operations to control the well and stop the gas flow.

The leak, which started on Thursday, has led to the precautionary evacuation of approximately 70 families from the vicinity. These individuals have been moved to a relief camp established in Bhati Bongaon due to concerns about a potential explosion.

Officials reported that the relief camp is stocked with essential items such as food, drinking water, and medical assistance. A police unit has been assigned to ensure security, and an ambulance with medical personnel is on standby to handle any health-related emergencies.

As per a statement released on Friday, ONGC's crisis management team is actively working on-site to manage the situation. They have brought in the necessary equipment to regain control of the well.

“The situation has remained stable since Thursday. There have been no fires at the well, and no injuries have been reported thus far. All emergency services are operational in the area,” stated an ONGC representative.

Access to the site is limited to authorized personnel only, due to the ongoing presence of gas in the vicinity.

ONGC has initiated a thorough investigation to uncover the cause of the blowout.

“We are optimistic that the situation will be managed promptly. A comprehensive investigation is underway to determine the underlying cause of the incident,” the statement further noted.

Previously, ONGC indicated that gas emissions were identified on Thursday during maintenance work at the well.

An official clarified that the well in question is an older, non-producing crude well, and that perforation work was being conducted to initiate production from a new zone.

“This was part of a routine servicing operation. Production was anticipated to commence from a different reservoir zone following the perforation. The incident transpired during logging and perforation activities, leading to an uncontrolled gas escape immediately after the perforation, resulting in the blowout,” the official elaborated.

The incident has drawn parallels to the 2020 industrial disaster at Baghjan in Assam's Tinsukia district, where a blowout at an OIL well resulted in the deaths of three workers and injuries to several others.

The gas leak there persisted for 173 days, culminating in a fire on June 9, 2020. A coordinated effort involving multiple agencies ultimately contained the situation, with the well being successfully capped and abandoned by December 3, 2020.