Oil leakage reported at Dighaltarang TE in Upper Assam, OIL orders probe

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaApril 10, 2024

Oil India Ltd (OIL) on Wednesday announced that an incident of leakage was reported at the X-Mass Tree of well number BGN#24, located at Dighaltarang Tea Estate in Upper Assam’s Tinsukia district at around 11:30 pm on Tuesday. 

OIL personnel rushed to the site and controlled the leak at around 2:20 am on Wednesday. 

The leakage of oil and natural gas damaged dozens of houses, agriculture fields and tea bushes in the tea garden.

The people of the nearby houses have to flee from their houses due to the impact.

 “The district administration was informed and officials from the administration were present at the site to assess and address the situation. Proactively, fire service was mobilised, and fire service crew is kept stand by,” an official of OIL said here. 

“A hole was observed on the flow path from the X-Mass tree and the same is under investigation. Gas and crude oil had spread out over nearby areas located within approximately 100 metres from the well site,” he said. 

“An on-site assessment team of OIL is formed to assess the affected areas immediately. The OIL team is taking up measures for remediation of the affected area,” he said. 

“An internal enquiry is being conducted for a thorough investigation and OIL reassures that the well is in completely controlled & closed condition and there is no point in panic for the same,” he added.

This was the second incident of oil and gas leakage from an oil well in Upper Assam.

On October 20, 2023, the theft of an X-mass tree from the top of an oil well led to an uncontrolled flow of fluid (mainly water) from the well in Duliajan.

The gas leak, combined with the release of natural gases, had plunged the surrounding area into a state of emergency.