The Oil India Limited operates gas well no.5 in Baghjan Oilfield that caught fire on June 9. (File)

Guwahati:

PSU major Oil India Limited on Friday said that no oil is flowing into water bodies from a gas well in Assam’s Baghjan following a blowout last month, as claimed in a video clip which has gone viral on social media.

Floodwaters have entered the gas well fire site in Tinsukia district affecting efforts of the OIL authorities to cap the well and douse the blaze, the company said.

“There is a video clip is in circulation in the social media wherein it has been claimed that lot of oil is flowing into nearby water bodies/river from Baghjan blowout well. This is totally false since all hydrocarbon coming out of the well is completely burnt at the well head,” OIL said in a tweet.

A release by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) also said that the well head area is dry and no oil is flowing into any waterbody.

“Before the fire occurred, condensate was falling in nearby area as it was coming out along with gas. But once the well caught fire on 9th June, all condensate and gas is getting burnt,” the release said.

Well number 5 at Baghjan has been spewing gas uncontrollably since the blowout on May 27 and it caught fire on June 9, killing two of OIL’s firefighters at the site.

Meanwhile, it has been raining continuously and various parts of Baghjan gas well site and three roads leading to the spot from Tinsukia were inundated making it difficult to move personnel and equipment, OIL said in a statement.

The site of helipad earmarked earlier cannot be used now because of the presence of floodwater on the road and efforts are on to identify a new site to set up a helipad.

Due to damage of Doomdooma-Baghjan Bridge, all movement on the bridge has been suspended.

OIL had contacted the Army for construction of a Bailey bridge but it can be done only after the water level recedes, the company said.

Another bridge over Daisajan near Daisajan Tea Estate on Tiphuk Kordaiguri road is deteriorating too due to the flood.

However, environmental Impact Assessment by M/s ERM is continuing with collection of samples of air, water, soil from different parts of the area since June 4 as a part of a study.

Due to agitation by people, there was production loss of 88 MT of crude oil and 0.14 million metric standard cubic meters (MMSCM) of natural gas as on Thursday, the company said adding that operations were disrupted in 13 oil wells and one gas well.

OIL said cumulative production loss since May 27 due to bandhs and blockades was 8570 MT crude oil, 10.99 MMSCM of natural gas.