AP gas well blaze: ONGC finalises blowout control plan
ONGC senior management has taken operational control of the Mori-5 gas well blaze in Konaseema, Andhra Pradesh, finalising a blowout control plan. Fire intensity has reduced, with firefighters, SDRF and officials working to douse the inferno and minimise environmental impact
Mori (Andhra Pradesh): ONGC senior management has assumed operational control of the yet-to-be extinguished gas well blaze here in Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema district and finalised a comprehensive blowout control plan on Tuesday.
A massive jet fire of up to 20 metres height and 25 metres width erupted around 12:40 pm on January 5 near Mori and Irusumanda villages after a gas leak at an Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC)-owned well, Mori-5, whose intensity has been reduced now.
The gas well is not operated by the Maharatna company but by its Production Enhancement Contractor (PEC) Deep Industries Ltd, an Ahmedabad-based company.
“The senior management of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) including Director (Technology & Field Services) from Delhi along with Crisis Management Team (CMT) experts, have assumed operational control of Well Mori-5. A comprehensive blowout control plan has been finalised,” said an official press release from the public sector major.
In the wake of continuous efforts, the ONGC team deployed at the inferno managed to reduce its intensity and size, which has been raging for more than a day already.
The firefighters completed the creation of a temporary canal from a nearby irrigation source to facilitate the deployment of high-capacity firewater pumps.
Fire pumps have reached the wellsite, and placement activities are in progress, said ONGC.
Besides reducing the flame’s intensity and size, the firefighters have also managed to alter the flame to vertical direction.
“Air quality, noise levels, and nearby water bodies are being continuously monitored to minimise environmental impact within a 600 metre radius,” said the press release.
Further, it noted that the ONGC is in continuous coordination with all stakeholders to ensure transparency and an effective response.
All operations are being carried out with the highest standards of safety and environmental care, it added.
ONGC expert teams have arrived from Mumbai and Delhi to douse blaze, an official said earlier on Tuesday.
“They (firefighters) have created a water umbrella to make the temperature cool down, but the flames are still coming, so the expert teams will arrive and they will assess the situation, and accordingly they will take all measures to douse the flames,” Konaseema joint collector T Nisanthi told PTI.
By sprinkling water, all the trees surrounding the fire jet are being cooled off, said Nisanthi, observing that the intensity of flames has reduced compared to Monday.
There were hopes the flames will be doused at the earliest, she said, noting that all efforts are being made in this connection.
“They will assess the situation first, and only based on the assessment, they will be able to tell,” she said when asked for a timeline to completely extinguish the blaze.
Revenue, Police and Fire department officials, along with ONGC, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Red Cross personnel are toiling hard to extinguish the flames, she said.
As many as 600 people from three villages around the fire were evacuated on Monday for safety.
Deep Industries Ltd had secured a Rs 1,402-crore contract in 2024 for production enhancement operations at ONGC’s Rajahmundry Asset in Andhra Pradesh, according to reports.
The company has been operating the Mori-5 well for about a year, said an ONGC official.
