Gas leaks at ONGC’s station in Andhra Pradesh, affects nine persons including 4-year-old child

According to the Collector, lack of maintenance resulted in Hydrogen Sulphide gas leak when ONGC workers were trying to wash a well

Kesanapalli (Andhra Pradesh): Lack of maintenance at ONGC’s gas collection station here in Konaseema district resulted in a Hydrogen Sulphide gas leak, said an official on Thursday.

District Collector R Mahesh Kumar said the gas leaked around 2:30 pm on Wednesday had affected about nine persons, including workers and a four-year-old child who vomited.

“Because of anaerobic respiration of micro-organisms, there was some accumulation of H2S gas (Hydrogen Sulphide). This is a result of lack of maintenance of those wells,” Kumar told PTI.

According to the Collector, the gas collection station has six units and H2S leaked when Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) workers were trying to wash a well located near the panchayats of Gollapalem and Turpupalem.

Following the leak, all nine units were stopped but were restarted on Thursday, said Kumar, adding that H2S is not a harmful gas. There are several oil and gas operations in and around Konaseema district and the larger Godavari region.

This region suffered a major gas disaster back in 2014. An early morning explosion in Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL) pipeline in June, 2014 led to an inferno that killed 15 people and severely injured 25 more.

Kumar said ONGC Rajahmundry Asset Manager Shantanu Das alerted him about the gas leak and he deployed police and revenue officials to the spot.