A persistent gas blowout at an ONGC-operated oil well in Assam’s Sivasagar district has entered its fifteenth day, stoking fears among villagers and drawing sharp scrutiny of the company’s containment efforts.
The leak, which began on 12 June at Well No. RDS 147A in the Rudrasagar oil field near Bhatiapar village, has forced the evacuation of more than 330 families and triggered a round-the-clock emergency operation involving national and international experts.
Though Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) claims to have reached a “critical milestone” in its bid to control the uncontrolled gas release, local residents and state authorities remain sceptical of the pace and transparency of its response.
Also read: ONGC begins final capping of Assam gas leak
The blowout occurred during a zone transfer perforation while the well was under maintenance by SK Petro Services, a private contractor. ONGC has since acknowledged that the discharge may temporarily intensify in the coming days as teams attempt to dismantle the Blowout Preventer (BOP) and cap the well.
In its latest update, ONGC said it had successfully removed 42 tubing stands and the rig base using high-capacity cranes, clearing the path for installing a capping stack.
“The gas is non-toxic and does not pose a threat beyond 500 metres,” the company said in a statement. However, the prolonged nature of the leak has unsettled communities and prompted street-level protests demanding the arrest of SK Petro’s owner.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, responding to mounting public anger, has written to Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, calling for ONGC to undertake operations in “mission mode.”
The state government has also announced an ex-gratia support of ₹25,000 for each of the 350 families sheltered in relief camps in nearby Bangaon.
As water levels from the Dikhow river rise, ONGC continues to deploy high-pressure water blanketing systems around the well site. Three blowout control specialists from the United States are now on-site, working alongside CUDD, ONGC’s technical partner.
The energy major has installed medical aid posts and air-quality monitoring stations, claiming all metrics remain within permissible limits. Still, anxiety simmers among villagers who remain displaced and uncertain of when they may return home.
ONGC clarified that the affected well was non-productive at the time of the incident, and the servicing operation that led to the blowout was part of routine maintenance.
“We remain fully committed to environmental safety and community welfare,” the company stated, even as it grapples with mounting pressure to plug the leak and restore normalcy in the region.
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