Digboi oilfields in Upper Assam may dry up

Gauhati: The Digboi oilfields in Upper Assam, the oldest in India, are fast nearing depletion and may dry up in the next 10 to 15 years, according to a recent official survey.

The Digboi oilfields were discovered in 1901. Oil exploration and establishment of the refinery also took place in the same year.

To date, the fields have produced more than 9.3 million tonnes of crude with current production at about 1,70,000 tonnes a year.

The first oilfield to close down in Assam was that of Badarpur in Cachar district. It produced about a quarter million tonnes of oil before it was closed down in 1933 due to ingress of water.

According to the survey the Naharkatiya, Moran and Hoogrijan oilfields in Lakhimpur district have vast deposits of oil besides an estimated 506 cubic feet of industrial gas.

According to the survey, nearly 55 per cent of the total area of Assam is oilbearing. About 60 per cent of the known probable reserves of petroleum crude in India is found in three oil fields of AssamDigboi, Naharkatiya and Moran.