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09-07-2025
- General
- 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
- General
- 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.
Time of India
27-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
ONGC successfully caps gas blowout at Assam's RDS#147A well
Guwahati: Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) has successfully completed the capping operation at Well RDS#147A , marking a significant milestone in the well control efforts . During service operations on 12 June 2025, a blowout occurred at Well RDS#147A, and gas gushed out. The confirmation came after Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri announced the development on X, praising ONGC's Crisis Management Team and its partners for resolving the situation safely and swiftly. In an official statement, ONGC said the capping operation marked a major achievement in the well control efforts, following a blowout that occurred during service operations at the site on June 12. The incident had led to an uncontrolled gas discharge from the well. The statement noted that at dawn on Friday, ONGC's Crisis Management Team, along with experts from international firm CUDD Pressure Control and local operations personnel, began the critical task of removing the damaged Blowout Preventer (BOP) from the wellhead. Live Events 'The entire operation was conducted with meticulous planning, technical finesse, and close coordination to maintain stability and avoid any imbalance or toppling during the lifting of the damaged BOP,' the ONGC spokesperson said. The capping stack was firmly installed and secured, following which the BOP was successfully closed, effectively bringing an end to the gas discharge from Well RDS#147A. This marks the successful culmination of the capping operation, a testament to ONGC's engineering excellence, meticulous planning, and strong collaboration with global and local partners. Subsequent steps in the well control roadmap will now be taken up as per operational protocols. The achievement stands as a symbol of technical resilience and teamwork. ONGC acknowledges the exemplary contributions of its Crisis Management Team, the experts from CUDD Pressure Control, and the dedicated local teams who worked tirelessly under demanding conditions to bring the well under control. The capping of RDS#147A marks the successful culmination of ONGC's well control efforts. The operation was executed with utmost safety, without a single injury, fatality, or incident of fire. ONGC has maintained full transparency throughout the operation, issuing daily press releases over the fortnight to keep all stakeholders informed. Earlier in the day, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri shared the news on X, writing: 'ONGC has successfully capped the blowout of well RDS#147A at 1115 hours today. The blowout, which began on June 12, has been resolved in the shortest possible time, following all best practices.' He lauded ONGC's Crisis Management Team and international well control experts for their 'meticulous planning and concerted efforts,' which brought the blowout to an end without any harm to personnel or property. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also expressed his appreciation, thanking the Union Minister and ONGC for their prompt and coordinated response. In a post on X, Sarma said: 'Thank you Hon'ble Minister Shri Hardeep Singh Puri Ji for your exceptional leadership and persistence in sealing the gas leak at RDS#147A, Sivasagar -- which has been a great cause of concern for all of us.' He also praised the resilience of the affected communities and the cooperation extended by local residents. 'My deepest gratitude to the brave men and women of Sivasagar, especially those residing in the affected areas, for displaying extraordinary perseverance and extending unstinted support to all concerned agencies over the last two weeks,' Sarma added. Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
The Print
16-06-2025
- General
- The Print
ONGC well blowout: Gas leak continues for 5th day, ‘most experienced' team engaged
The blowout began on June 12 at Well No RDS 147 of Rig No SKP 135 of Rudrasagar oil field of ONGC at Barichuk of Bhatiapar. A private firm, SK Petro Services, was operating the well on behalf of the state-run Maharatna company. The district administration said that air pollution is still within the acceptable limit and the local office of Pollution Control Board, Assam (PCBA) is closely monitoring the situation. Sivasagar (Assam), Jun 16 (PTI) Energy major ONGC on Monday said it has deployed the 'most experienced' Crisis Management Team (CMT) to control the leakage of gas, which continued for the fifth day after a blowout at a crude oil well in Assam's Sivasagar district. 'ONGC has deployed its most experienced Crisis Management Team (CMT), a team with a proven track record in managing complex well control operations, to contain the gas leakage at Well RDS#147. The operation is being closely and continuously monitored by ONGC's top management,' the company said in a statement. Geological challenges are inherent to oil and gas operations and the premier energy company follows stringent safety protocols, it added. 'ONGC is making all out efforts to bring the gas leak under complete control at the earliest,' the company said. The company, in coordination with the district administration, undertook the safe evacuation of affected families and has been providing them with shelter, food, drinking water and other essential daily supplies. Because of the blowout, around 1,500 people have been affected and 70 families were shifted to a relief camp set up in nearby Bangaon, and all necessary arrangements are being made to ensure their welfare and well-being. 'To safeguard public health, ONGC has established free round-the-clock medical camps staffed with doctors and equipped with essential medicines, as part of its comprehensive emergency response,' the statement said. The company said that it is maintaining continuous communication with all stakeholders, including the district and police administrations, media and local community leaders, to ensure transparency and swift action. 'ONGC is grateful to the government, the local residents and the media for their continuous support and seeks further cooperation from all stakeholders till this situation is normalised,' it added. Meanwhile, the office of the Sivasagar District Commissioner in a Facebook post said that the local PCBA unit has established machines at the blowout site to study the air quality and oversee other pollution levels. 'According to the test reports by experts on the level of pollution in the atmosphere, the air pollution is still within tolerable limits,' it added. Measures have been taken to reduce the spread of compounds in the exhaust gas into the atmosphere by continuously pumping water at high pressure from the Dikhou river which flows near the rig. The well has not caught fire yet and no one is injured in the incident, while all emergency services have been pressed in the area, a company official said. An ONGC official had earlier said that it was an old crude well without production and a perforation job was going on for zone transfer at the time of the blowout. 'It is a kind of servicing of the well. The production was supposed to start from a new zone after the perforation job. At the time of the incident, the logging perforation operation was going on. Suddenly gas started coming out in an uncontrolled manner immediately after the perforation, leading to the blowout,' he had added. PTI TR NN This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
The Print
16-06-2025
- General
- The Print
Assam: Gas leak continues at ONGC well after three days of blowout, 70 families shifted
'The well killing process is going on, and we have mobilised all necessary equipment for the same. The Crisis Management Team (CMT) is working on war-footing to control the leakage,' an official told PTI. A team led by ONGC Director (Technology & Field Services) Vikram Saxena on Saturday took over the operational control of Well No RDS 147, where the blowout took place, they said. Sivasagar, Jun 15 (PTI) Leakage of gas continued for the fourth day at a well of energy major ONGC in Assam's Sivasagar district, where 70 families have been shifted to a relief camp, officials said on Sunday. The well has not caught fire yet, and no one is injured in the incident, he said. The blowout took place on June 12 at Well No RDS 147A of Rig No SKP 135 of Rudrasagar oil field of ONGC at Barichuk in Bhatiapar. A private firm, SK Petro Services, was operating the well on behalf of the state-run 'Maharatna' company. A senior official of the district administration said that around 1,500 people have been affected by the incident. 'They are getting the smell of gas and are not able to light their stoves or burn anything. We are providing them with cooked food and constantly monitoring the situation,' she said. From the area of the blowout, 70 families have been shifted to a relief camp set up in nearby Bangaon, and all necessary arrangements are being made to ensure their welfare and well-being, the district administration said in a post on Facebook. 'There are currently doctors from the Health Department and the Animal Husbandry Department at the scene. They are examining the health conditions of both people and their domestic animals,' it added. An official of ONGC had earlier said that it was an old crude well without production, and a perforation job was going on for zone transfer at the time of the blowout. 'It is a kind of servicing of the well. The production was supposed to start from a new zone after the perforation job. At the time of the incident, the logging perforation operation was going on. Suddenly, gas started coming out in an uncontrolled manner immediately after the perforation, leading to the blowout,' he said. PTI TR TR SOM This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
