HT Correspondent
DIBRUGARH, May 2:A potential disaster was averted on Friday after a gas leak from Oil India Limited’s (OIL) Well No. 309 in Nagajan village, located in the Lankasi-Kothalguri area of Dibrugarh district, was successfully contained.
The gas leak had triggered panic among locals on Thursday afternoon, reviving traumatic memories of the catastrophic 2020 Baghjan blowout.
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The uncontrolled leakage began around 4:30 pm with a loud hissing sound and gas shooting into the sky. It was finally brought under control by 1:00 am on Friday after an eight-hour emergency operation by OIL’s disaster response team.
“We immediately mobilised our emergency response teams upon receiving reports of the leak. The situation was precarious, with high-pressure gas escaping at an alarming rate. Our priority was to prevent any potential ignition sources from reaching the vicinity while our technical teams worked to contain the leak,” a senior OIL official said.
Authorities also confirmed that there were no casualties or property damage. However, the incident has raised fresh concerns about safety protocols in Assam’s oilfields. The leak, attributed to a mechanical failure in the casing valve, prompted the immediate deployment of OIL’s well services team.
“A shut-in gas well in Lankasi-Kothalguri reported a gas leakage at around 4:30 pm on May 1. Preliminary assessment indicated a mechanical error in the casing valve. Our well services team subdued the well and completed the replacement by 1:00 am on May 2. No damage to life or property occurred. OIL remains committed to the highest safety standards,” an official statement released on Friday said.
Thursday’s incident revived memories of the devastating Baghjan blowout of 2020, when Well No. 5 at OIL’s Baghjan field in Tinsukia district experienced a blowout on May 27, followed by a massive fire on June 9. That catastrophe resulted in three deaths, displaced hundreds of families, and caused severe environmental damage to the nearby Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and Maguri-Motapung wetland. The Baghjan fire raged for nearly six months before being completely extinguished, marking one of the worst industrial disasters in the region’s history.
