In the last three days, a tub well hole has been emitting gas at Mathasahi under Nikirai area in Kendrapada district. The family members as well as the locals, apprehensive of possible disaster, have put off the digging work and sealed the hole with gunny bags.
The tube well is being dug by Sadashiba Mallick. According to him, after digging about 60 feet, all on a sudden a bursting sound was heard deep inside the ground and later a kind of gas automatically released. On burning a match stick and throwing it inside the hole, the gas caught fire and started burning for a few minutes.
Soon the news spread far and wide. District Collector Debaraj Senapati directed the Executive Engineer of RWSS Department to conduct an inquiry to ascertain the fact.
The officials found a type of natural gas in the hole of the tube well of Sadasiba Mallick and informed the district Collector about it.
The locals later demanded that State Government should send experts to see if the gas inside the soil is abundant for exploration. According to district Collector Senapati, he suspects the gas to be Methane (Hydro Carbon).
Such a phenomenon is mostly found in coastal areas as during the tide most trees take watery grave due to the inundation of tidal water and later the trees remain decomposed beneath the ground forming an impervious sticky grey clay soil layer. Due to the decomposed trees, gas formation takes place. When it gets a medium for discharge, it is released from the ground, he said.
“However, I would bring the matter before the notice of the Director of Geological Survey of India(GSI),Bhubaneswar and would invite the officials to pay a visit to the spot to conduct a survey to ascertain whether the gas stored inside the soil is abundant or not IJ Also precautionary measures would be taken to avoid fire,” stated Senapati.
Notably, natural gas emitted from the tube well of one Nilamani Nayak of Mantripada village in 2007. The family members used the gas for cooking purpose after fixing a rubber pipe in the tube well for more than three years.
The GSI experts also conducted a survey at Mantripada. Similarly, about a decade back, such type of gas emitted from a land nearby Nuagaon Pata. So people believe that abundant natural gas lies stored beneath their soil.