KOHAT, Sept 12: The second gas well drilled by Oil and Gas Development Company Limited in Sheikhan area on the outskirts of Kohat city has been filled by water but efforts are underway to control water seepage for pumping gas from it, according to a relevant official.

Earlier, OGDCL drilled a well in the area but had to shut it down after water filled it. Thereafter, a new well was drilled adjacent to it but gas couldn’t be pumped out due to presence of water.

Chief of OGDCL in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Jand area of Punjab Mushfiq Paracha told Dawn on Wednesday that the company’s two attempts to pump out gas from wells in Sheikhan had failed.

He, however, said he was hopeful that water would gradually disappear in wells, which had huge reserves of gas.

“The first well remained functional for a little time. Its operation came to a halt after water appeared on the surface affecting gas pressure. Survey reports suggest water will subside with the passage of time,” he said.

Mr Paracha said the company’s operations in Karak district had been very successful as it was pumping out 15,000 barrels of oil and 50 million cubic feet of gas daily from three wells there.

“In Kohat and Karak, we’re pumping out more than 30,000 barrels of oil and 90 million cubic feet of gas daily,” he said.

The OGDCL official said the company would soon begin digging for gas in Ibraheeemzai, Mohammadzai and Sherkot areas along Hangu Highway where seismic survey was near completion.

He said local and foreign oil exploration companies were asked in late 90s to work in Thall block from Kohat to Hangu and Bannu and that they were successfully taping huge natural resources in the region.

Meanwhile, a Wapda employee was electrocuted and died while repairing a transformer in Nusratkhel area here on Wednesday.

Local police said lineman Hawa Baz was fixing a fault in the transformer when the grid station suddenly restored electric supply.

They said the lineman died of electric shock in no time.

Later, Wapda ordered inquiry into the incident to fix responsibility for action.

Meanwhile, People’s Youth Organisation leaders in Kohat on Wednesday charged chairman of their divisional working committee Kamran Kansi with corruption and nepotism and demanded strict action against him by leadership.

Bilal Hussain, Noor Hussain, Zarbadshah and other current and former PYO office-bearers told reporters here that two top positions in PYO cabinet should be reserved for Kohat and Karak because the two districts were continuously ignored by leadership.They said if they demands weren’t met, they and PYO workers would agitate.

The PYO leaders accused divisional PYO chief Ehsanullah Khattak of favouring a small group for job quota and other perks and privileges, ignoring them and workers.

They expressed no confidence in the PYO president and said the office should be given to someone from Kohat, while the secretary general should be from Karak to safeguard interests of workers in the region.