Gas leak continues at ONGC well in Assam after three days of blowout, 70 families shifted
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Indian Express
28-07-2025
- Indian Express
Grassland bird census in Kaziranga: What was special about this survey, which PM Modi talked about
In his Mann ki Baat radio programme on Sunday (July 27), Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted a 'first-ever grassland bird census' in Assam's Kaziranga National Park and the technology used for this. What is this 'bird census', what was the methodology involved, and what are the concerns surrounding grassland birds? Between March 18 and May 25, a survey to record the grassland bird population in Kaziranga National Park was undertaken by a team of forest officials, scientists, and conservationists. It all began when a doctoral student Chiranjib Bora, who is studying the threatened grassland bird Black-breasted parrotbill, received the INSPIRE fellowship from the central government's Department of Science & Technology, along with acoustic monitoring tools to conduct his research. He and the Kaziranga authorities then decided to use the tools to count all grassland bird species in the national park, 70% of which is covered by grasslands. 'Our main goal was to monitor what grassland bird species live in Kaziranga. Most of the grassland bird species have become rare. These are small and well-camouflaged birds that are not easily spotted, unlike wetland birds. Also, they live in peculiar habitats that are rapidly declining,' said Bora. The survey prioritised 10 species that are either globally threatened or endemic to the Brahmaputra floodplains: Bengal Florican, Swamp Francolin, Finn's Weaver, Swamp Grass Babbler, Jerdon's Babbler, Slender-billed Babbler, Black-breasted Parrotbill, Marsh Babbler, Bristled Grassbird, and Indian Grassbird. Including these, it recorded a total of 43 grassland bird species, including 1 Critically Endangered, 2 Endangered, and 6 Vulnerable species, according to the IUCN Red List. What was the methodology and why was it unique? According to Kaziranga National Park Director Dr. Sonali Ghosh, the use of passive acoustic recording monitoring was the highlight of the survey. 'Surveying these small, shy, and highly camouflaged birds is very difficult using traditional methods like visual counting. So, the acoustic recorders were placed in tall trees near grasslands during the breeding season of the birds, between March and May. This is the season when they are very vocal, calling out for mates and with males defending territory. The instruments recorded all the birds singing in the landscape,' she said. Bora said that different tools were then used to identify the birds based on the recordings. 'After recording for three consecutive days, we removed the recorders and analysed those sound files. If the sound was not identifiable, we used software to create a spectrogram, which is a graphical representation of the sound, to aid us in identifying. We also used a tool called Birdnet, which uses machine learning to try and identify species by bird song. We covered 29 locations in the national park using six recorders,' he said. What is the significance of the findings? Dr. Ghosh called grassland birds 'an indicator of good health' of an ecosystem, likening them to indicators such as BMI for human health. 'The presence of these birds tells us that the habitat is healthy,' she said. The national park authorities have been particularly excited by the discovery of a breeding colony of the endangered Finn's Weaver, which is endemic to the Brahmaputra flood plain. 'They nest on the tops of trees but till now, we had not known where they had been nesting. During the survey we found a colony of over 85 nests in Kaziranga,' she said. What are the threats to the habitats of grassland birds? Bora said that in the past four decades, Assam has lost around 70% of its grasslands. 'There are anthropogenic factors such as overgrazing and clearing of grasslands for cultivation. But there is also a natural phenomenon called ecological succession, which is basically an instinct for grasslands to gradually transition to forests. Among the 10 species we had prioritized, three are endemic to the grasslands of the North East, which means that if they vanish from here, they become extinct,' he said. Climate change also contributes to these concerns. 'It is a cause of worry. If we look at some species, for instance, the Bengal florican, we used to see a lot more of them, but this time we could detect only one or two. Further study can tell us if the decline is influenced by climate change or other factors,' said Dr. Ghosh.
Scroll.in
09-07-2025
- Scroll.in
Assam oil rig: ONGC caps leak but residents fear inhaling toxic fumes, fire risk
On June 27, the gas leak in a rig in Rudrasagar was finally capped in a joint operation carried out by the Crisis Management Team of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation of India and Texas-based Crudd Pressure Control where they removed the damaged blowout preventer from the oil wellhead. Gushes of gas were first observed on June 12, around 11.45 am, during servicing operations at well no RDS-147 A, an oil well in the Rudrasagar oil field, in Sivasagar district in Assam, one of the oldest oil fields of ONGC, the largest state-owned oil and natural gas company of India. Upon detection, ONGC activated standard safety protocol, and the site was promptly secured. A fortnight later, gas continued to leak at the Rudrasagar oil field. However, following the arrival of a three-member team of oil well control experts from Crudd Pressure Control on the evening of June 20, there was progress in controlling the blowout with flow rate of gas reducing substantially. The team finally brought the gas flow under control on June 27. 'After removing the BOP [blowout preventer], the pre-positioned capping start, prepared at the staging area, was carefully and accurately placed onto the wellhead. This redirected the gas flow securely to the top of the capping stack, ensuring containment and control. The capping stack was firmly installed and secured, following which the BOP was successfully closed, effectively bringing an end to the gas discharge,' the ONGC statement said. Meanwhile, the Pollution Control Board of Assam issued a show-cause notice to ONGC for operating oil well no. 147A without obtaining mandatory environmental clearance. ONGC has been granted 15 days to respond to the notice and failing to do so could invite punitive action, including financial penalties and legal proceedings. The incident has affected at least 1,500 people from 350 families in the vicinity who were relocated to relief camps, reviving the painful memories of the 2020 oil and gas leak at Baghjan oil field in Tinsukia district of Assam, operated by Oil India Ltd. The leak at Baghjan later escalated into a blowout with a massive fire which raged for more than five months, displacing more than 15,000 residents from 3,500 families. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, after visiting the affected people on June 16, wrote to Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri that, unlike previous incidents handled expeditiously, the current approach appears procedural and lacking in visibility. 'I am constrained to convey that the local perception is one of inadequate urgency and seriousness in ONGC's response,' wrote Sarma. Sarma also announced a compensation of Rs 25,000 from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund for every affected family. Meanwhile, local people have claimed that SK Petro Services, a private firm deployed by ONGC to supervise the operations at the rig and provide the workforce, was responsible for the accident and demanded the arrest of its owner. Living near a leaking rig ONGC discovered oil in Rudrasagar in 1960, making it one of the company's oldest oil fields in India and production began here in 1964. The place is, however, densely populated with several villages in the vicinity like Bhatiapara, Rupohimukh, Bhati Bon Gaon, Radhika Nagar, Boliaghat, Rupohibil Gaon, Dhuliapar etc. Brojen Das, headmaster of Radhikanagar LP School lives at Rupohimukh village, which is within 500 m of the site of the leak, informed Mongabay India that most people here are from either Matak or Koibarta communities. Das said that 90% of the people here are farmers and fishers who catch fish at the nearby Dikhow river, a tributary of the Brahmaputra while others are daily wagers, service people and small business owners. 'There are around a hundred families within a 200 m radius of the leaking rig. They couldn't stay at home and went to the relief camps. The schools in the 3 km radius, including my own, have been turned into relief camps and medical camps,' he said. A statement released by ONGC on June 18 stated that a thorough analysis of the released gas has been carried out through sample collection, confirming that the gas is non-toxic in nature and that the noise levels are also within acceptable limits beyond 500 m. However, if the gases are non-toxic, why are people and domestic animals getting ill, questioned Das. He said, 'There are mobile medical camps set up by both district administration and ONGC. Not just the gas, but even the loud sound is causing a lot of discomfort. Now serious patients are being taken to Sui-Ka-Pha Municipality Hospital in Demow.' A doctor currently serving on a mobile medical camp in Rudrasagar on the condition of anonymity as he is not allowed to speak in an official capacity, told Mongabay India that the patients he has treated have mainly complained of irritation in eyes and skin. 'Their vision has become foggy. This irritation in the eyes could be the allergic manifestation of the gas. We have also got patients with diabetes and hypertension though it is not possible to say without investigation if those conditions have spiked because of the gas. Some patients have also complained of palpitation though that can also happen because of the mental stress these people are going through,' he said. Local social worker Saroj Baruah told Mongabay India that there was a blowout in Rudrasagar in the past as well. 'In 1969, there was a blowout which continued for ten days. Later, a team from Russia was brought in to put out the fire,' said Baruah, who was five-six years old then. Baruah, who lives in Bhatiapara village, which is 700 m from the rig, said that ONGC took the land from the villagers here on lease after oil was discovered here, and the lease is extended after every 30 years. Operation to cap the leak According to the ONGC's media statement, the first step in plugging the leak was to connect the well to a nearby production facility, thereby diverting a portion of the gas in a controlled manner. As an additional safety measure, the team is using the technique of water blanketing. Speaking to Mongabay India about the challenges in this operation, Subrata Borgohain Gogoi, Professor at the Department of Petroleum Technology and Dean of the Faculty of Earth Sciences and Energy at Dibrugarh University said, 'Now even a little carelessness can lead to a fire. As the gas is in the air, any spark, such as even static electricity from friction between two pieces of cloth can lead to a fire. The presence of Dikhow river nearby was beneficial as its water was used for water blanketing. Now to kill the well, they are pouring junk. The gas is so mobile that it will emerge through the slightest gap.' 'Nobody can predict at what velocity the gas will come out. These kinds of rig accidents occur in the USA, the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico but they are mainly onshore rigs with almost no population nearby. On the other hand, here the incident has taken place in an offshore rig surrounded by densely populated villages and so many people have been affected,' Gogoi said, adding that there might be negligence on the part of SK Petro. 'They got the bid of operating the rig as the lowest bidder. However, what exactly happened can be said only after investigation,' she said. Regarding the composition of the gas leaking from the rig no 147A, she said, 'According to the information I received from ONGC, the gas comprises of methane (85-92%), ethane (3.6%), propane (0.5-2%), butane (0.1-1%), carbon dioxide (1-3%), nitrogen (0.5-2%), hydrogen sulphide (less than 0.1%).' According to reports, ONGC on June 21 asked residents living beyond 500 m from the site of the incident to return home and resume activities like cooking and use of electricity. Das, meanwhile, said that even if normal activities resume for the local residents, this incident might have a long-term impact on the health of people and environment. 'We don't know how this incident will affect people in the long run, especially children and aged people. Also, it might contaminate the Dikhow river which is a source of livelihood for local fishermen,' he said.
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Business Standard
27-06-2025
- Business Standard
ONGC contains gas leak at Assam's Rudrasagar well site on 15th day
State-owned national oil and gas major ONGC has successfully stopped the natural gas leak at the Rudrasagar gas field in Assam, which had been leaking for the past 15 days. On Friday, ONGC announced that capping operations had been successfully completed at the RDS 147A well site in Sivasagar district. 'This blowout started on June 12 and has been capped successfully within the shortest possible time following all the best practices,' Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said in a post on X. ONGC's Crisis Management Team (CMT), along with experts from Texas-based Cudd Pressure Control, completed the critical operation to safely remove the damaged blowout preventer (BOP) from the wellhead. 'The effort was carried out with high precision and coordination to ensure stability and prevent any imbalance or toppling during the lifting process,' ONGC said in a statement. Once the BOP was safely removed, the pre-positioned capping stack, prepared at the staging area, was carefully and accurately placed onto the wellhead. This redirected the gas flow securely to the top of the capping stack, allowing containment. Before this, an extra-long boom crane and a 40-tonne crane had been used to remove the 42 tubing stands from the derrick of the rig, clearing the path for the safe removal of the rig base from the wellhead. The gas leak had sparked widespread fear, prompting the evacuation of 330 families from surrounding areas as a precautionary measure. The first team of mining engineers and experts from the United States reached the gas field on June 20—the eighth day after the leak began. The team included experts from the International Well Control Agency. Rudrasagar is one of India's oldest production sites, operational since 1960, and is located on the outskirts of district headquarters Sivasagar. More than 1,500 people from villages around the rig were evacuated. In June 2020, a similar gas well blowout at Oil India Limited's Baghjan gas field in Assam's Tinsukia district resulted in three deaths and large-scale evacuation.
