Madhya Pradesh: ‘Groundwater’ on fire in Damoh

An 'inflammable gas' spewing out along with ground water from a borewell in Bortai area of Damoh district in Madhya Pradesh has worried farmers and locals who use the water for irrigation and other purposes.

Updated on: Dec 31, 2014, 24:43:55 IST

Hindustan Times | By Neeraj Santoshi, Bhopal

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

An 'inflammable gas' spewing out along with ground water from a borewell in Bortai area of Damoh district in Madhya Pradesh has worried farmers and locals who use the water for irrigation and other purposes.

The water coming out of the borewell caught fire when lit by villagers. They informed district administration officials about the incident. According to district administration officials, villagers said, "Paani mai aag lag rahi hai" (this water is catching fire).

Many people are visiting the area to witness the spectacle. The district administration has advised people not to use the water as it could lead to a major problem.

Sub divisional magistrate Damoh, Manoj Thakur told HT over the phone that a team of Public Health Engineering (PHE) department has been sent to the area to take samples of the water. The water will be sent to a lab for tests to ascertain what kind of chemicals it consists. "It could be natural gas or methane or some similar inflammable gas," he said.

Thakur said they will also talk to the officials of state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) who are working in the area for oil and gas exploration to know the commercial viability of their finding.

ONGC found gas at a well at Nohta in Damoh district in 2012 and later stated the discovery of gas in four wells in Damoh-Jabera-Katni block.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.Read More

Follow India news real-time updates and the latest news covered on Hindustan Times, featuring today's critical updates on Sonam Wangchuk LIVE and more across India.