DIPHU, Nov 27 - The officials of the Oil India Limited (OIL) had a preliminary round of meeting with the Chief Executive Member of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC), Tulliram Ronghang, his Council colleagues and officers of various departments in his official conference room last evening.
The OIL is gearing up for exploratory drilling at two spots in the Dhunserie Valley very close to the township of Diphu. The chief of the OIL delegation appreciated the geology of the valley, saying it has the potential for economical drilling and the mode will be to assess the availability of crude petroleum and natural gas. If the results are found to be positive, the production phase would commence, he added.
On the side of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council, the Special Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Dr Abhijit Rabha emphasized the disaster management aspects of the exploratory drilling.
�We don�t want any repeat of the infamous Baghjan blowout incident. Here, the lack of water and other facilities could cause insurmountable environmental hazards,� he said. Further, the area is under the elephant reserve duly notified by the government. Hence, the procedural part of the whole exercise has to be carried out carefully, he maintained.
It is worthwhile to mention that this phase of the work can be summarized as an assessment of the oil reserve and it is expected that drilling of nearly 2.5 kilometres will be necessary to conduct a 3D survey. Seismic survey is a three-dimensional seismic data acquired at different times over the same area to assess changes in a hydrocarbon reservoir with time.
The OIL and the local authority, however, will have to get the approval from the Ministry of Petroleum and Environment and Forests. Before conducting a seismic survey on the spot mentioned in the chart, getting a clearance from the Ministry of Railways may be another spot of bother for the OIL, as one of the particular spots is barely 1.5 kilometre away from the Dhunserie Rail Station.
