Gas leaks: Fix it all, avoid disaster

The gas leaks at different parts of Dhaka city on Monday once again exposed the vulnerability of distribution network of Titas Gas and served as a call to action to avoid a disaster, say energy and urban experts.

Many city dwellers complained of gas leaks in parts of the capital with some coming out of their homes and staying on the street for hours on Monday night fearing blasts. Announcements were made in some areas requesting people not to light their stoves.

The Fire Service and Civil Defence received over 100 phone calls about the leaks of gas at various points while some panicked city dwellers also called 999 for help.

Clarifying, Titas Gas yesterday said it was due to high pressure in the gas pipeline. "At present, the gas supply in Dhaka city is normal and people are advised to light gas stoves," the distributor said in a statement.

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Energy experts, however, blamed Titas for transmitting gas through pipes most of which were laid decades ago.

"We have been repeatedly advising Titas to replace its old distribution network which developed numerous leaks, but they are not paying heed to it," energy expert Prof M Shamsul Alam told The Daily Star yesterday.

Sometimes, he said, the leaked gas gets trapped in a place and causes an explosion like the one in a Narayanganj mosque a year and a half ago. The blast claimed 34 lives.

"People usually cannot detect accumulated gas but pay the price when it causes an explosion," he added.

Shamsul said an automated system should be in place to control the sudden rise of gas pressure. "But this [Monday's] incident proves they do not have this system."

Over the past few years, there were a number of fire or blast incidents caused by accumulated gas in homes, industries, and markets.

Iqbal Habib, joint secretary of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon, said Monday's leaks could have caused serious accidents.

He warned that if the leaks are not fixed immediately, incidents like that in Narayanganj and Moghbazar may happen again.

Another energy expert, Md Maqbul E Elahi Chowdhury said mixing odorant was a good initiative that alerted people about the leaked gas on Monday.

By using an odorant, it is possible to identify 80 to 85 percent leaks, he added.

Odorant is chemical additive that is mixed into natural gas to create an artificial smell. It serves as a warning in the detection of natural gas in the air when there is a leak.

"But Titas is not using it regularly in its entire network," said Maqbul.

"Titas should repair all the leaks of the distribution network immediately to avert accidents," added Maqbul, a former director of Petrobangla.

Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company is the biggest distributor of pipeline gas in the country with 7,000km of lines in Dhaka alone and 28.57 lakh domestic connections across the country.

However, most of the pipes in the city are around 40 years old and the distribution network has developed many leaks.

In a survey conducted on a 1,682km pipeline in Dhaka in fiscal 2021-22, Titas detected 985 leaks at 449 points. Titas officials claimed that they have repaired those.

But experts said had Titas conducted a survey on the rest of the network, they would have found a lot more leaks.

Asked about Monday's leaks, Titas Managing Director Md Harunur Rashid Mollah said these were very minor.

The leaks are not repairable but not risky, he added.

"The smell has spread as we have used odorant. But these were very minor leaks which increased due to the pressure of gas and again it reduced when we have reduced the gas pressure," he said.

"We are regularly fixing the leaks which are repairable."

Rashid further claimed no pipeline in Dhaka city is risky and there is no chance of explosion.

An official of Titas said illegal gas connections and damage of the gas pipelines by other utility service providers are mainly responsible for the leaks.

Titas has identified 60 areas in Dhaka and Narayanganj where old and narrow gas pipes need to be changed to solve the problem of leaks and low gas pressure.

"A DPP has already been sent to the ministry concerned in this regard. Once we get the approval, we will start our work," said the MD of Titas.