‘OIL, government should act soon to stop environmental damage’

GUWAHATI: Aaranyak, an organization which works for biodiversity conservation in the northeast, said it is deeply disturbed and concerned over the fire at the oil wells in Baghjan area as the blaze is adjacent to important wildlife areas, Maguri-Motapung wetlands and Dibrusaikhowa National Park. It asked OIL and the government agencies to act immediately to control the fire for the well-being of the local people and to check environmental damage.
The NGO also drew attention to the recent clearance that OIL received for drilling oil using ERD technology at seven locations in the same area and urged the decision needs to be revisited. The leakage of natural gas from the oil well has been reported since May 27.
“However it is now evident that Oil India Limited (OIL) could not address the leakage issue for over 12 days leading to unabated fire since last afternoon,” Aaranyak said in a statement.
Dibru-Saikhowa is a Biosphere Reserve that has an international designation by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization for representative parts of natural and cultural landscapes extending over large areas of terrestrial or coastal/marine ecosystems or a combination of both.
The NGO also criticised OIL saying it failed miserably to manage the oil spill and the subsequent fire.
“The unabated fire which spread horizontally, had already had a severe impact on human habitation, agricultural fields, wildlife and wetlands. We urge that both OIL and the government agencies need to act immediately to control the fire for the well-being of the local people and restore environmental damage. We are also sceptical about OIL’s capability to stop such fires, as they have failed miserably to prevent oil spill and subsequent fire due the leakage in the last two weeks,” its statement read. It demanded that OIL should take full responsibility for the restoration of the environmental damage caused and of the affected people whose life, property and everything is at stake and asked OIL to pledge to check such mishap and be well-equipped to deal with such an emergency in future.
“It is time for the government to be more cautious and have a full understanding of the capabilities of user agencies before granting permission for greater interest in safeguarding public life and properties from such mishap,” it said.