The raging fire at an oil well in Assam’s Tinsukia district has caused irreversible damage to the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and the Maguri Motapung wetland area besides jeopardising livelihood of people dependent on the land, conservationists said on Friday.
The blowout at the Oil India Ltd well occurred on May 27, which has been spewing gas “uncontrollably” for nearly two weeks, and a massive fire engulfed the site, following an explosion at the well on June 9.
The spewing of gas from the well and the subsequent fire have forced people to leave their homes.
The damage to the biosphere reserve, Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, and the Maguri-Motapung wetland was immense and perhaps irreparable, Tinsukia-based environmentalist Ranjan Das told PTI.
