Uncertainty prevails; blame game on Baghjan oil-well capping

OUR CORRESPONDENT

TINSUKIA: Uncertainty prevails over the capping of the blazing BGR-5 Baghjan oil as the Oil India Limited (OIL) is yet to retrieve the 'Blow Out Preventer' (BOP) that fell a few metres away from the blazing well. It is likely to be damaged and burnt if not pulled out soon.

The first attempt to cap the oil-well head failed last Friday after the 'Anthey Wagon' crumbled in the pit. Immediately after that, the OIL and foreign experts embarked on a blame game. Reasons are still being ascertained that led to the disaster in the presence of several officials who assembled at the site to witness the countdown.

The 'Anthey Wagon' is an assembled unit that failed to lift the BOP during a mock drill on Thursday as the load of BOP was more than its lifting capacity. The OIL and ONGC team then tied the burnt-out oil head at the proximal end of the wagon to increase the load.

Sources informed that members of the expert team from the Singapore-based 'Alert Disaster Control' had objected to such application as that might entail a disaster. But the OIL-ONGC team allegedly nullified the experts' opinion and decided to go ahead with their plan the next day, which culminated in the latest disaster.

Meanwhile after the fire accident that occurred on July 22, sources informed that members of the Singapore team wanted to quit the assignment and was planning to abandon the site. But OIL authorities refused to let them go without completing the task; and since then, the team reportedly had been maintaining a distance from the capping job. According to local residents, the foreign experts were seldom sighted at the blast site even as the OIL claimed that the foreign experts were present there regularly.

After the technical details of BGR-5 oil well were brought to the public domain by the Expert Committee of National Green Tribunal (NGT), skeletons started tumbling out of the OIL's cupboard. Though the NGT panel highlighted some vital shortcomings, the OIL authorities never disclosed them publicly.

The BGR-5 was a problematic oil well and was shooting faults since drilling began way back in 2006. The report inter alia stated that the testing of surface equipment like the 'Well Head' or the 'BOP' among others was done only after perforation was reported following leaking of the well head. Besides the cement plug was placed nearly 2700 meters — much above the perforated zone. It should have been near the perforated zone.

These technical details and earlier faults, according to a source, OIL refrained from sharing with M/s Alert Disaster Control. The source further informed that the OIL purportedly avoided the US-based M/s Boots & Coots that had successfully capped two blazing oil wells at Deohal (NHK 285) in 2011 and Dikom in 2005. Instead this time, Oil engaged a new player having no experience in the OIL-operational areas and particularly Baghjan; and allegedly also hid the actual facts.

The OIL after having lost all resources at the cost of taxpayer's money is now devising alternative ways to control the blaze. According to a source, the OIL is contemplating to undertake another drilling operation at a nearby location to divert the gas from BGR-5. On the other hand, it appears that the Baghjan fire would continue for a longer period what with the OIL requisitioning a specialised crane to lift the BOP from the pit.

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