ALAPPUZHA: At a time when households across the country are anxiously watching domestic LPG prices and availability, amid the tensions in West Asia, Rethnamma of Arattuvazhi in Alappuzha has little reason to worry. For over a decade, her kitchen has been powered not by a gas cylinder but by a natural source in her own backyard, a borewell that produces natural gas.
What began as a desperate attempt to secure drinking water in 2011 turned into a life-changing discovery.
“We dug the borewell in the hope of clean water, but all we got was muddy water, even after going past 75ft,” Rethnamma recalls. Frustration mounted as the family spent over Rs 5,000 with nothing to show for it. The decision was taken to seal the well.
“As the plumber was closing the pipe, someone standing nearby lit a match. Suddenly, a flame burst out from the mouth of the well,” she says. Panic spread among the workers. For many, it would have ended there, a dangerous anomaly best forgotten.
Disappointed but determined not to let the investment go to waste, she made an unusual request: connect the pipe to her kitchen stove.
“We made black coffee first. Nothing unusual, no smell, no difference in taste,” she smiles.
Her husband, Rameshan, was far from convinced. “I was terrified. I thought the whole village could go up in flames if something went wrong,” he said. That first night was sleepless, with buckets of water kept ready in the kitchen in case of an explosion.
But nothing happened, the next day, the plumber returned, checked the setup, and cooked again. Days turned into months, and months into years. Confidence replaced fear. Today, more than a decade later, Rethnamma continues to cook all her meals using the gas from the borewell.
Experts later identified the gas as methane. Teams from the Geological Survey of India and the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation visited the site, intrigued by the phenomenon.
While they confirmed the presence of methane, they found no significant underground reserves in the area. Interestingly, similar traces of gas were reported in nearby borewells, but no other family dared to use it as a cooking source.
For Rethnamma’s family, the benefits are tangible. “We save around Rs 10,000 a year on LPG,” points out Rameshan. In a world grappling with fuel shortages and rising costs, this modest household in Alappuzha stands as a rare example of accidental self-reliance, where a failed borewell turned into a steady flame of resilience.
GSI Thiruvananthapuram deputy director general Dr V Ambily said that there are no legal issues in using gas that emanates from a borewell.
“Gas generated for industrial purposes requires clearances from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and other departments, which is clearly not the case here,” she said.