Residents in the Banshkhali hills of Chattogram say gas bubbles are emerging from leaks around three old wells and from cracks in the surrounding hillsides, renewing discussion about possible oil and gas reserves. The wells were drilled about six decades ago at Do-Chailla hill, in forest between the Jaldhi Range and Lohagara Chunati Range, about two kilometres east of Jaldhi municipal headquarters. The report was published on August 16, 2026.

Local sources and elderly residents said the then Pakistan government drilled three wells in 1960 through the Oil and Gas Development Corporation. They also said five more wells were later drilled with assistance from Korean and Russian experts. Locals claim surveys identified large reserves and that experts extracted about 300 barrels of crude oil, but these claims have not been independently verified.

Bapex geology department manager Alamgir Hossain confirmed that three wells had been drilled in Jaldhi hills. No effective extraction initiative has been taken since the 1960 survey, according to the report, and the reason the wells were sealed with lead remains unclear. Former Banshkhali mayor Kamrul Islam Hossaini called for new scientific exploration to assess the potential.