BAPEX preparing 20-inch pipe to contain Ukhiya gas blaze

A 20-inch pipe is being prepared to control a blaze fuelled by gas escaping underground at Inani in Cox’s Bazar’s Ukhiya by the Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company (BAPEX).

The plan is to regulate the gas flow through the pipe, then seal the outlet with mud mixed with cement and special chemicals.

Petrobangla Director for Operations and Mines Engineer Md Shoyeb announced the plan after visiting the site on Saturday.

After 15 days of monitoring, Bapex will carry out the operation, he said. BUET and Bapex experts have inspected the site.

BUET Assistant Prof Shahriar Mahmud said the pipe would be fitted over the opening, allowing the flow to be controlled before the outlet is sealed.

Another 15 to 20 trucks or trailers will be needed to bring in the equipment. If the plan succeeds, the fire could be extinguished within 30 minutes of work starting, he said.

Afterwards, experts will assess the gas reserve and its commercial potential. Geological tests and seismic surveys will establish the volume and whether extraction is viable. A new well may be drilled if prospects are promising.

BAPEX Drilling Superintendent Md Anisur Rahman said gas escaping through the current six-inch opening was not suitable for direct extraction. Further tests are needed, but public safety comes first.

Gas and water began gushing from a nearby yard in Jaliapalong Union’s Chhota Inani on Oct 27, after drilling for a tube well. The gas caught fire and has burned since.

Authorities have restricted access, fenced off the site and imposed Section 144 within 200m.