Title: Natural gas blowouts in KG Basin, east coast of India: Implications for environmental scenarios

Biography:

N. Jayaraju has been working on Coastal Environmental Pollutions including the oil industry both onshore and offshore for over a decade. His expertise including, geosciences, environmental pollution, socio-economic scenarios of the society living close to the coastal zone.

Abstract

The Krishna-Godavari (KG) basin is considered to be one of the potential petroliferous basins of Indian subcontinent. Natural gas blowouts is one of the hazards in this basin. It causes wide spread loss to human lives, environmental and material assets. The geological complexity of the field and the presence of over pressure zones, mainly in East Godavari sub-basin, particularly in the wells at Amalapuram, Razole and Narsapur have led to major disasters in the past years. Therefore, an attempt has been made to identify the most possible causes of these disasters and to propose a safe drilling procedure to prevent these disasters in the upcoming ventures. This incident resulted in serious environmental damage including water, soil, crops, air, and flora and fauna. The paddy fields, coconut groves and prawn farms within 2 km radius of the site were damaged due to enormous heat of the rising flame. The constant heat and light also affected the life of animals and birds. This paper highlights the case study of a blowout occurred in KG basin in East Coast of India. The effect of exploration and production of oil and gas on the property and environment were also discussed. Efficient drilling and safety procedures were recommended to prevent further blowouts in future. The recommendations presented will be of utmost importance for oil and gas operators and service companies to take necessary steps in future drilling operations in over pressured formations of KG basin to prevent loss to personnel, property and damage to the environment.