Baghjan oil blowout | 16 Jun, 2020

The recent news of grave damage to the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and Maguri Motapung Beel by the Baghjan gas well blowout and the blaze that is still raging in the area deeply pains every nature lover and those who are relentlessly working for the protection of ecosystem and biodiversity of the State. Quite unfortunately, a Gengetic river dolphin, fish and birds are reported to have been killed due to the disastrous inferno in the last few days. Also, much of the grassland has been burnt. The wetland (Maguri Motapung Beel) and the adjacent area, covered with oily substance, have suffered tremendously that would take years to recover. Evidently, the wetland's ecology would suffer long-term damage unless the oily substance is removed immediately from the wetland and its peripheral areas. Now, the onus lies with the government to initiate immediate steps to restore the habitats in and around the National Park and the wetland. The government also urgently needs to consider demarcations of ESZ (eco-sensitive zone) around PAs (protected areas) as required under the Environmental Protection Act , 1986 or else we should be ready for ecological catastrophe to come in the near future.

Dipen Gogoi,

Teok, Jorhat