Three years after oil rig blowout, Baghjan in the grip of health crisis

Guwahati: Three years after the devastating blowout from an oil rig operated by Oil India Limited (OIL) in Baghjan village of Tinsukia, a survey has indicated that the residents are facing an acute health crisis and trauma.

The survey conducted by Foundation of Social Transformation – Enabling Northeast India, a non-profit based out of Guwahati, has revealed that all the 612 families in the village have contracted various illnesses over the last three years.

According to Ritupan Gogoi, the executive director of Foundation of Social Transformation – Enabling Northeast India, the survey was conducted as a part of an engagement with the community impacted by the blowout. “This was an effort to understand the impact of an environmental disaster on the people. These findings will be useful for us to create awareness amongst the vulnerable communities of the state,” Gogoi told EastMojo.