Moulvibazar Correspondent :
28 years of Magurchhara explosion of Kamalganj Upazila are passing today, Saturday, June 14. Still Bangladesh has not received any compensation from Occidental, the US Company responsible for the disaster. Although the Bangladesh government is inactive in this regard, the activists of the country’s interest are active.
On the midnight of June 14, 1997, a terrible explosion occurred during excavation of gas exploration well No. 1 located in front of the Phulbari tea plantation in the Magurchhara area of Kamalganj upazila of Moulvibazar.
After the sudden explosion, the flames rose to a height of 600 feet. The scene of that terrible fire still lingers in the minds of the people of Moulvibazar district.
In 1995, the government launched a gas exploration project in blocks 12, 13 and 14 of greater Sylhet.
An agreement was signed with the American company Occidental of Bangladesh Limited. After the gas exploration began, the people of Kamalganj were happy. The people of the area were overjoyed at the thought that the area would be rich in oil and gas.
The goal of drilling a 3,700-meter well The company started working on it. The accident occurred shortly after digging 840 meters. The fire destroyed tea gardens, reserved forests, power lines, Sylhet-Akhaura railway line, Srimangal-Kamalganj-Shamsernagar-Brahmanbazar-Kulaura road, gas pipeline, gas well, reserve Gas, environment, water were severely damaged. Thousands of wildlife and birds died. After 15 days of continuous fire, a team of four members including Richard Childree, an expert from the International Oil Company of Houston, USA, was able to bring the fire under control to some extent.
However, it took about six months to bring the entire well fire under control. The people of Kamalganj, Srimangal and Moulvibazar districts have not forgotten the memory of the terrible accident that took place in Magurchhara. The locals have not received any compensation for the huge loss. Oil-Gas According to experts, 245.86 BCF of underground extractable gas was burned in the Magurchhara gas field, which is worth about 14 thousand crore taka. Other losses are another 11 thousand crore taka. This can be confirmed from several studies related to the accident.
The fire caused extensive damage to 87.50 acres of Magurchhara and surrounding areas. Various studies after the accident have shown that 29 tea gardens suffered losses of Tk 466.84830 due to the explosion of the Magurchhara gas well. Apart from this, the reserved
The fire destroyed 25,650 mature trees in an area of 69.5 hectares of forest, causing damage worth around Tk 336.1 million. The government’s investigation estimated the damage at Tk 507.12 million. In addition, there was potential damage to 40 hectares of forest land and 15,000
450 trees The amount of damage in 10 years to recover from the damage is 484 crore 58 lakh taka. That is, the total loss to the forest area is estimated at 9 thousand 858 crore 31 lakh taka. 2 thousand feet of railway track was destroyed due to the explosion. This caused a loss of 81 lakh taka excluding revenue. 54 thousand 395 taka Damage to roads is 21 crore taka. Damage to gas pipeline is 13 lakh taka Damage to power lines is 1 crore 35 lakh 9 thousand 186 taka. The residents of Magurchhara Khasia Panpunji have been affected by the rain in the rain barges.
The total loss is 12 lakh taka at the rate of 47 thousand 750 taka per day. 1250 hectares of the West Bhanugachh Reserve Forest in Kamalganj Upazila was declared Lawachhara National Park in 1996 under the Wildlife Act of 1974. The horror of the Magurchhara gas well
The fire destroyed the biodiversity of this forest, including its endangered wildlife. Although it is customary to use explosives like ‘dynamite’ in gas well drilling, deadly and environmentally destructive radioactive materials were used as explosives in the gas well drilling in Occidental Magurchara.
The National Oil and Gas Safety Committee have alleged that a ‘radioactive source’ was used. The committee believes that the accident occurred due to clumsiness, inexperience, negligence, indifference, and incompetence in Occidental’s drilling work. Magurchhara
The movement to demand compensation for the fire is still ongoing.
Every year on June 14, ordinary people in this area observe various programs including human chains. The source of the well, which has been burning for more than six months after the explosion on June 14, 1997,
The sealing of the mouth was completed on January 9, 1998. Before that, Occidental left Magurchhara on December 20, 1997. This situation caused a strong reaction among the people in the area. On January 10, 1998, large trees were planted on the road.
Thousands of people built barricades and protested. Ordinary people held meetings, demonstrations, processions, and marches in various places in the entire Sylhet division and the country, including Srimangal-Kamalganj-Moulvibazar.
Magurchhara Khasia Punji Minister Jidison Pradhan Suchiang said,
No one understood the extent of the damage to the natural forest caused by the incident. We, who live in this forest, understand. In this regard, Syed Amiruzzaman, leader of the Magurchhara Oil-Gas-Mineral Resources Protection National Committee, said, “On June 14, 1997,
The investigation committee formed after the fire at the Magurchhara gas well submitted its investigation report to the ministry within a month. By submitting the report to the insurance company, Occidental recovered compensation for their insured parts, rigs, etc. But
Neither the government nor the locals have received any compensation from the company yet. Syed Amiruzzaman believes it is possible to recover compensation from Occidental if the government takes recourse to the international court.
Sylhet Divisional Forest Officer of the Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation Department, Dr. Jahangir Alam said, “Although the forest damage has been assessed, nothing has been found so far. The damage to natural forests cannot be repaired in any time. Based on previous experience in environmental disasters,
We all need to be aware. Meanwhile, on the occasion of the 28th anniversary of the Magurchhara tragedy, various environmental organizations including the Pahar Raksha Unnayan Society, Biodiversity Protection Committee, Kamalganj Unnayan Parishad, and others will hold a meeting on Saturday, June 14, to mark the 28th anniversary of the Magurchhara tragedy.
Under the initiative, a human chain will be held to publicly disclose the list of damages caused by the Magurchhara gas explosion in Kamalganj, provide compensation to the victims, and demand gas connections to every household in Kamalganj.
