Lessons from Baghjan catastrophe

The Baghjan blowout well of Oil India Limited (OIL) has finally been killed. OIL has also announced that the fire has been extinguished completely much to the relief of the affected local residents. It took full 172 days to kill the well which speaks volume of the consequences of laxity on safety measures during exploration and drilling of hydrocarbon. The breakthrough came after an eight-member team of experts from Canada successfully deployed the "snubbing unit" brought from their country to kill the well. OIL has stated that further operation to abandon the well is in progress. The National Green Tribunal (NGT)-appointed Committee of Experts in its progress report on October 31 recommended a different Standard Operating Procedure for Gas wells stating that handling of gas wells is different than Oil wells.

The committee also recommended that isolation of any hydrocarbon bearing zone by a secondary barrier must be taken very seriously and needs to be planned properly. "Before doing any critical operation in well, a comprehensive contingency plan must be in place to take immediate action to face any eventuality," it adds. As the fire has been doused, the focus now should be on expediting the works of rehabilitation of the displaced residents of Baghjan and eco-restoration of the affected landscape. Dousing the flames of agony of Baghjan residents devastated by the blowout and subsequent fire, still remains a challenging task. The OIL has till date released Rs. 36.09 crore as compensation for the affected people on the basis of interim recommendations of the NGT while it awaits the final report of assessment being carried out by the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Tinsukia.

The OIL states that the amount includes an interim relief Rs 10.93 crore to 3000 families who had stayed in relief camps. Besides, Rs 25 lakh to each of 12 families, Rs 10 lakh to each of 57 families whose houses were damaged in the fire and Rs. 2.5 lakh to each of 561 families whose houses have been partially damaged or whose standing crop and horticulture partially destroyed. Based on the recommendation of the Tinsukia Deputy Commissioner the NGT probe panel has divided the affected families of Baghjan into two categories- 173 families in category (i) and 439 families in category (ii). The experts' panel has recommended to the NGT for payment of compensation of Rs 25 lakh to each family in category (i) families and Rs 20 lakh to each family in category (ii), subject to the process being overseen by the Assam State Legal Services Authority. Delay in payment of compensation will only add to the miseries of the affected families who have suffered because of negligence on the part of OIL that resulted in the blowout and resultant devastation. Restoration of the environment and eco-system in Baghjan and surrounding landscape including Maguri-Motapung Beel, Dibru-Saikhowa Biosphere Reserve cum National Park destroyed due to the blowout and the fire is the other big challenge for OIL and other stakeholders. The Experts Committee report points out that from May 27, when the blowout occurred, till June 8 toxic gases with condensate, the impact was widespread and within two kilometres every plant and animal life was affected when most of the plants covered with oil and condensate, died. The grasslands were severely affected and most of the breeding endemic Red Data book grassland birds abandoned their nests without hatching of their chicks.

The impact on the environment during the second phase starting on June 9 when the well-caught fire was such that even after three waves of floods the experts had observed the presence of oil sleek and condensate in the grassland habitat. A comprehensive study of the impact will facilitate formulation of an effective eco-restoration plan at Baghjan and in the surrounding landscape. The Baghjan blowout has many lessons for OIL to learn – from updating its knowledge on managing hydrocarbon wells, revisiting contingency plans to rehabilitation of the affected people and better understanding of the environment and ecosystem of the landscape. The NGT will take the final call on the recommendation by the committee to issue direction to the Pollution Control Board, Assam to take appropriate legal action against OIL and its officials for "violation of the mandatory requirements of Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and the Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution Act, 1981. The greatest lesson to be learnt is there can be no alternative to best possible safety measures to prevent an accident in any activity of exploration or drilling of hydrocarbons which has inherent risks. It also sounds the alarm bell against dilution of Eco-Sensitive Zones around the protected areas, national parks, and wildlife sanctuaries in the name of ease of doing business and boosting domestic hydrocarbon exploration and production in ecologically fragile regions.