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" 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 News Relic 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.
