Adhering to covid protocols, Oil India Limited (OIL) celebrated World Environment Day 2021 on Saturday at its various office locations in field headquarters Duliajan. This year World Environment Day is being celebrated globally on the theme of ‘Ecosystem Restoration’ and focus on resetting our relation with nature. It will also mark the formal launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021 – 2030. To mark the occasion, OIL took up a tree plantation drive starting at the general office building campus. The drive was kick-started by Prasanta Borkakoty, Resident Chief Executive, OIL which was followed by tree plantation by various departments at OIL township and all installations of OIL Duliajan.
Considering the current Covid-19 pandemic and various restrictions laid down by the government to curb the spread of the virus, an hour long webinar session was also hosted by OIL wherein Padma Shri Dr Jadav Payeng was officially welcomed as the Green Ambassador of OIL with the broader objective of moving forward under his able guidance as OIL’s guardian in integrating green initiatives in OIL’s operational activities. The session was joined by Sushil Chandra Mishra, Chairman and Managing Director, OIL, Pankaj Kumar Goswami, Director (Operations), OIL, Prasanta Borkakoty, RCE, OIL and Sanjay Kumar Rai, ED (FHQ Affairs). The session was moderated by Tridiv Hazarika, Company Spokesperson, DGM (CSR & CC).
“We as a global community have to collectively fight pollution which is a threat to Mother Nature’s ecological balance. On this occasion of World Environment Day, let us all promise to plant tree in all barren lands wherever possible. This will play a pivotal role in reducing pollution” said Padma Shri Jadav Payeng who joined the online webinar from his residence at Jorhat. It may be mentioned that OIL has been taking up various initiatives from time to time to accord its commitment towards building awareness on the preservation of bio-diversity, protection of environment and restoration of ecosystem such as mitigation of carbon emission through eco-restoration/plantation in abandoned well sites of OIL. Hundreds of native species saplings are planted every year to maintain ecological balance and build climate resilience. As part of OIL’s commitment towards National Determined Contributions (NDC), an ambitious project for reducing our Green House Gas (GHG) emission levels has been undertaken by OIL in association with NEIST, Jorhat. The project had a three pronged approach i.e. to restore abandoned well sites of OIL, plantation of trees and sequestrate carbon dioxide. More than 78,000 trees and shrubs were planted in a scientific manner and reclamation of abandoned well sites in Assam.
