Tengratila Gas Emission
3 families asked to leave home for safety
A Bapex team yesterday visited the areas around the abandoned Tengratila Gas field where emission of gas through leakages has gone up. They advised the inmates of three families near the gas field to stay away from their homesteads
Locals informed the Bapex team that gas emission through the leaks around the abandoned gas field has gone up. A leakage point beside the house of one Emran Hossain caught fire on Thursday night. The fireball leapt about 6 to 7 feet, locals said. However, they extinguished fire after an hour. Emran Hossain and his family members left their house for safety reasons yesterday morning.
The team member said they will submit a report to the managing director within a day or two. Doarabazar Upazila Chairman Abdul Quddus was also present at the time of Bapex team's visit.
Bapex MD Golam Martuza Hossain told this correspondent over cellphone that a three-men team had visited a number of private houses near the Tengratila Gas Field. They observed gas emission through several leaks, he added. Receiving gas emission report, the MD had earlier sent a technical team from Sylhet to visit the area.
The Bapex chief said gas emission through leaks around any gas field is not unusual. But people should remain alert about use of firebox or any other source of fire, he said. Niko people have also been informed of Thursday's incident, the Bapex chief added.
Tengratila Gas Field exploded with a big bang on the night of January 7 in 2005 when Canadian company Niko was engaged in drilling a well, causing destruction to huge gas and leaving a trail of devastation in the surrounding area.
The huge gas field location now gives a deserted look, except a few guards.
Another serious blow-out took place on the night of June 24 in 2005 as the Canadian company was running a relief well drilling at the remote location in Doarabazar upazila of Sunamganj district. It was being drilled to seal the original one, which had suffered a huge blow-out on January 7 that year.
Trees got burnt, croplands damaged and thousands of people had to be shifted from their homesteads. The huge fireball leapt 150 feet over the gas field and forced thousands to flee their homesteads.
The raging flames at Tengratila Gas Field, which were visible from even 30 kilometres away, took about two months to go down totally.
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