Petrobangla halts gas well drilling for 48 hours amid tremor risks

In a precautionary move following recent seismic activity, Petrobangla has halted all well drilling and seismic survey operations across the country for 48 hours to mitigate potential earthquake-related risks.

The state-owned Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Mineral Corporation announced the suspension in a statement issued on Sunday, citing the need to safeguard equipment, personnel, and the general public.

All drilling and seismic activities will remain suspended until 8 am on Tuesday, 25 November. Operations will resume only if conditions are deemed safe by that time.

Currently, exploration and workover activities are underway at several key wells, including Srikail-5, Habiganj-5, Kailashtila-1, Beanibazar-2, Sylhet-11, Sylhet-10X, and Rashidpur-11. 

Seismic surveys are also ongoing in Sonargaon and Narayanganj – both now paused as part of the temporary safety measure.

The decision follows a series of recent earthquakes in the Dhaka-Narsingdi region, including a 5.7-magnitude tremor on November 21, which has heightened concerns over induced seismicity and infrastructure vulnerability.