Baghjan blowout: NGT directs Assam government to pay aid to affected families

Subject: Environment

Section: Places in news

Context:

The National Green Tribunal (NGT)’s principal bench ordered the Assam government to disburse interim compensation to the victims of Baghjan oil and gas leak that displaced close to 9,000 people in 2020 in Tinsukia district of Assam.

Baghjan oil and gas leak- 2020:

The 2020 Assam gas and oil leak, also referred as the Baghjan gas leak, is a natural gas blowout that happened in Oil India Limited’s Baghjan Oilfield in Tinsukia district, Assam, India on 27 May 2020.
It also impacted the fragile ecology of the villages situated close to DibruSaikhowa National Park and Maguri-Motapung Wetland.
NGT appointed a committee led by Justice (retired) BP Katakey to investigate the leak, which revealed many violations of environmental laws deeming the entire Baghjan oil and gas field as illegal in November 2020.

Dibru- Saikhowa National Park:

Located in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts, Assam, India.
It was designated a Biosphere Reserve in July 1997.
It is located at about 12 km (7.5 mi) north of Tinsukia town at an average elevation of 118 m (387 ft), ranging from 110 to 126 m (361 to 413 ft).
The park is bounded by the Brahmaputra and Lohit rivers in the north and Dibru River in the south.
It mainly consists of moist mixed semi-evergreen forests, moist mixed deciduous forests, canebrakes and grasslands.
It is the largest salix swamp forest in north-eastern India, with a tropical monsoon climate with a hot and wet summer and cool and usually dry winter.
Annual rainfall ranges from 2,300 to 3,800 mm (91 to 150 in).
It is a haven for many endangered species and rich in fish diversity.
In December 2020, Gauhatihighcourt stayed a permission given to Oil India Limited for hydrocarbon exploration at seven locations inside the protected area.
Species in the park:
- Species include Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, clouded leopard, jungle cat, sloth bear, dhole, small Indian civet, Malayan giant squirrel, Chinese pangolin, Ganges dolphin, slow loris, pig tailed macaque, Assamese macaque, rhesus macaque, capped langur, Hoolock gibbon, Asian elephant, wild boar, Sambar deer, hog deer, barking deer, Asiatic water buffalo, and feral horse.
- The park is one of the few places in the world which is home to feral horses.

Maguri-Motapung Wetland:

MaguriMotapung Beel is a wetland and lake located near to Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and Motapung Village of Tinsukia district in Assam.
MaguriMotapung Beel serve as a natural home to wildlife and provides a source of livelihood to the local communities.