Bangladesh News

Incidence of gas pipe leakage that can lead to fatal accidents is becoming frequent as a good part of the city’s gas distribution pipelines has become old through the decades and subject to careless handling by various construction works.

Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd that handles country’s 70 percent gas supplies says that in the city alone it deals with a dozen cases of pipeline leakages daily.

As this number is alarming, the company is now taking up a pipeline survey project that will pinpoint weak pipelines needing replacement and repairs. This project may be undertaken next winter.

Monday night’s explosion at the 12-storied Hotel Orchard Plaza is one such incident that may have been triggered by gas pipeline leakage. But, how it happened is yet to be identified by professional investigation.

“Surely a good part of more than 10,000 km of gas distribution network of Titas has become very old. Some of it is 40 years old. But more importantly, the city now has more buildings that demand installing various utility systems including electrical cables over the gas pipelines,” said a competent source of Titas.

In the case of Hotel Orchard Plaza, Titas was repairing a gas pipeline leakage close to the building Monday night and found that an electrical cable was carelessly laid above the pipe. Sparks from that cable had gradually eroded the pipe and had caused the leakage.

“The explosion did not take place where the leakage was detected. It happened up in the sixth floor of the building. If we blame gas for the explosion, this may have happened if the gas had found its way to some enclosed rooms through the sewage system. But, whether this is actually the case is something the investigators will hopefully find out,” the source added.

Another source in Titas said if there is five to 15 percent gas in an enclosed space, an electrical spark can trigger an explosion. “It is quite a serious matter and many people are not conscious about this safety hazard,” he said.

He added that the Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd has not been procuring safety and other equipment like leak clamp or compressor coupling for the last 18 months.

“This is happening because Titas is cutting its expenditure to demonstrate the efficiency of its management. But this is dangerous,” the source pointed out. Some pipelines like that of the Bangabandhu Bridge Approach Road pipeline lack protective coating, which is posing serious dangers, the source added.

“To save costs, Titas did not even procure adequate meters in recent times. When we need to repair pipelines or install meters, we borrow repair materials from one office to another. We often resort to shutting down the valve of a pipeline to seal a leakage. Whereas, a leak clamp can be installed instantly without shutting down a line,” the source added.

However, a highly placed Titas official claimed that the company was duly procuring safety and repair materials through a process. “The fact is our pipelines are getting too old and that is why we need more maintenance,” the official said.

With a customer base of 11 lakh, Titas earned more than Tk 3,400 crore in 2006. The company that launched its operation in 1968 supplies gas to Dhaka, Jinjira, Savar, Manikganj, Dhamrai, Aricha, Tongi, Joydevpur, Tangail, Narayanganj, Sonargaon, Munshiganj, Narsingdi, Ghorashal, Brahmanbaria, Ashuganj, Bhairab Bazar, Mymensingh, Netrakona, Tarakandi, Jamalpur, Sherpur, Kishoreganj, Bhaluka, Trishal and Gaffergaon.