Digboi

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Digboi is an oil town in northern Assam (in North East India).

Contents 1 Digboi as an oil town 2 External links 3 Digboi and luxury 4 See also

[edit] Digboi as an oil town

It is said that the town gets its name from the phrase "dig-boy-dig," which is what the English told the labourers as they dug for crude oil. The town's history begins in 1867 when a small group of men from the Assam Railway and Trading Co. found their elephants' legs soaked in black mud, that somewhat smelt like oil. The men began exploring more, and in 1889, the English started a small oil installation. India (and Asia) obtained its first refinery in Digboi in the year 1901. Assam Oil Company was formed in 1899 to look after the running of the oil business in this area. The Digboi oil field produced close to 7,000 barrels/day of crude oil at its peak, which was during the World War II. The field was pushed to produce the maximum amount of oil with little regard to reservoir management, as a result, production started to drop almost immediately after the war. The current production from the Digboi fields is about 240 barrels/day. Over 1,000 wells have been drilled at Digboi – the first well in 1889 had stuck oil at 178 feet. In 1989, the Department of Posts, India came out with a stamp commemorating 100 years of the Digboi fields.

Today, though the crude production is not high, Digboi has the distinction of being the world’s oldest continuously producing oilfield. Digboi refinery, now a division of Indian Oil Corporation, had a capacity of about 0.65 MMTPA as of 2003. The Digboi refinery is the world's oldest oil refinery still in operation.

Digboi is now Headquarter of Assam Oil Division of Indian Oil Corporation Limited. The Earliest recorded to the existence of oil in India is found in the memories and despatches of the Army Officers who penetrated the jungles of Upper Assam since 1825. Lt. R. Wilcox, Major A. White, Capt. Francis Jenkins, Capt. P.S. Hanney -- they all saw at different times' petroleum exuding from banks of the river Dehing. Mr. C.A. Bruce(1828) and Mr. H.B.Medicott (1865) of the Geological Survey of India also saw oil while perspecting for coal in Upper Assam.

Mr. Goodenough of McKillop, Stewart & Co. Calcutta was the first in India to start a systematic programme of drilling for oil in November'1886, at Nahorpung about 30 miles south east of Dibgoi, just seven years after the World's first commecial oil well was drilled in 1859, by Col Willam Drake in Pennsylvania, USA. This hand dug well-first oil well in India was drilled upto 102 feet and proved dry. However the second well, struck oil at Makum near Margherita, about 8 miles from Digboi

Digboi Refinery at Present The Digboi Refinery modernization project was taken up in large scale in order to overcome the technological obsolescence of the old refinery. Subsequently a number of other major projects were undertaken by Assam Oil Division to further revamp and modernise Digboi Refinery. This includes the Wax Hydro-finishing Unit(WHU) which is now under commissioning, the Solvent Dewaxing/ Deoiling Unit(SDU) where the target date of commissioning is November'2002. The Target date of commissioning of Hydrotreater is May'2002 and the target date of commissioning of the Vacuum Residue Short Path Distillation(VRSD) is October'2002. Digboi refinery has been awarded the ISO-14001 and OHSMC certificate.

With development in technology and infrastructure, Assam Oil Division is moving towards attaining higher standards of excellence. With a name that has existed for over 100 years, ready to meet the challanges of the future with its greatest resource - a committed and talented workforce. Assam Oil Division has always upheld its commitment towards the community at large, as a good corporate citizen. It has been carrying out various developmental activities in the region. In its journey forward it belives in carrying along with it, the community with which it co-exists. Today with its modern technology and facilities, Digboi Refinery produces major petroleum products like fuels, wax, bitumen and range of specialty products. This hundred year old Digboi refinery can very well be said a technical marvel of the past and present.

Digboi is emerging as a town of worldclass streets and medical facilities.It is ranked in higher position for most number of literacy rate .this place is also enriched for rich cultural organisations and care socities.The following data is compiled by govind sharma(SRR engg college, chennai).

[edit] External links

Tinsukia District Homepage

• Tinsukia

Entertainment

• Rocking AsSaM

	State of Assam Assam Topics | History | Politics | People of Assam
Capital	Dispur
Districts	Barpeta | Bongaigaon | Cachar | Darrang | Dhubri | Dibrugarh | Dhemaji | Golaghat | Goalpara | Hailakandi | Jorhat | Karbi Anglong | Kokrajhar | Kamrup | Karimganj | Lakhimpur | Marigaon | North Cachar Hills | Nagaon | Nalbari | Sibsagar | Sonitpur | Tinsukia
Major cities	Barpeta • Bongaigaon • Dhubri • Dibrugarh • Diphu • Goalpara • Guwahati • Jorhat • Karimganj • Nagaon • North Lakhimpur • Sibsagar • Silchar • Tezpur • Tinsukia

[edit] Digboi and luxury

Being an integral and economical part of britshers during their rule in India digboi is designed to have world class golf courses with 18 holes, digboi club, and several entertaining sectors.It has got guest houses and tourist residential apartments to promote tourism in upper part of assam.Though its own potential to emerge as powerful town, government body and organizations are least interested here.This town along with the neighbouring towns suffer the higher rate of brain drain resulting in higher number of students moving out of the area to acquire higher studies.

[edit] See also

• Dibrugarh
• Bombay High
• Tinsukia

Coordinates: 27°23′N 95°38′E