Dangerous leaks: Mysterious explosions in Bhara Kahu houses kill two
Residents blame gas seeping into sewage pipes for blasts; SNGPL denies knowledge.
ISLAMABAD:
Explosions due to gas leakage have claimed two lives and left one person critically injured in Bhara Kahu in the past 14 days.
Two such incidents occurred on Monday: one in Nai Abadi, killing a man on the spot, while the other incident took place at the Teachers’ Colony, leaving Abid Hussain Abbasi, 31, a shopkeeper and father of three, with fatal burn injuries. Abbasi died at the burn centre of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) on Wednesday.
A week ago, a man sustained severe burn injuries in a similar blast in a washroom. The man was trying to light a candle when the accident occurred.
Neighbours of the victims told The Express Tribune that the explosions were triggered by natural gas leaking from the pipelines running parallel to the sewage lines. None of the houses where the accident happened have gas connections. The neighbours believe the gas entered the houses through the sewage pipelines running parallel to the gas pipeline.
Rukhsana, who owns one of the houses where the accidents occurred, said she heard a loud blast on Monday morning. The intensity of the blast was so severe that it broke all windows of the house.
“We heard someone calling out for help. The door to Abbasi’s (her tenant) room was broken and he was lying on the road, enveloped in flames,” she said.
Nadeem, Abbasi’s neighbour, said, “Before going unconscious, [Abbasi] said he was switching off the fan in his room before leaving for work, which triggered the fire. The intensity of blast threw him out on the street.”
Bhara Kahu Police Station Assistant Sub Inspector Shehzad Ahmed told The Express Tribune that a man from Nai Abadi in Bhara Kahu had died of burn injuries on Monday, when fire erupted as soon as he lit a cigarette in his bathroom.
An official in the local government, asking not to be named, said the gas pipelines in Bhara Kahu are not laid down properly and deep, as per the prescribed rules. He said the rules call for a brick wall both under and above the gas pipeline, which has been ignored in the pipeline laid in the area. “Heavy rains in monsoon cleared the mud, unearthing the [unprotected] pipes,” he said.
Mohammad Ashraf, who lives in Bhara Kahu, said a group of people went to Sui Northern to lodge a complaint. “But no one paid any heed.”
Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Islamabad General Manager Mohammad Arshad said he had not heard of any such incidents in the area. He added the company “properly” tests the gas pipelines for leakage as they are laid. However, he added, gas leaks when people try to take illegal connections from the pipelines. He said no natural gas pipelines are currently being laid in the Teachers’ Colony or Nai Abadi.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 3rd, 2011.
Explosions due to gas leakage have claimed two lives and left one person critically injured in Bhara Kahu in the past 14 days.
Two such incidents occurred on Monday: one in Nai Abadi, killing a man on the spot, while the other incident took place at the Teachers’ Colony, leaving Abid Hussain Abbasi, 31, a shopkeeper and father of three, with fatal burn injuries. Abbasi died at the burn centre of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) on Wednesday.
A week ago, a man sustained severe burn injuries in a similar blast in a washroom. The man was trying to light a candle when the accident occurred.
Neighbours of the victims told The Express Tribune that the explosions were triggered by natural gas leaking from the pipelines running parallel to the sewage lines. None of the houses where the accident happened have gas connections. The neighbours believe the gas entered the houses through the sewage pipelines running parallel to the gas pipeline.
Rukhsana, who owns one of the houses where the accidents occurred, said she heard a loud blast on Monday morning. The intensity of the blast was so severe that it broke all windows of the house.
“We heard someone calling out for help. The door to Abbasi’s (her tenant) room was broken and he was lying on the road, enveloped in flames,” she said.
Nadeem, Abbasi’s neighbour, said, “Before going unconscious, [Abbasi] said he was switching off the fan in his room before leaving for work, which triggered the fire. The intensity of blast threw him out on the street.”
Bhara Kahu Police Station Assistant Sub Inspector Shehzad Ahmed told The Express Tribune that a man from Nai Abadi in Bhara Kahu had died of burn injuries on Monday, when fire erupted as soon as he lit a cigarette in his bathroom.
An official in the local government, asking not to be named, said the gas pipelines in Bhara Kahu are not laid down properly and deep, as per the prescribed rules. He said the rules call for a brick wall both under and above the gas pipeline, which has been ignored in the pipeline laid in the area. “Heavy rains in monsoon cleared the mud, unearthing the [unprotected] pipes,” he said.
Mohammad Ashraf, who lives in Bhara Kahu, said a group of people went to Sui Northern to lodge a complaint. “But no one paid any heed.”
Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Islamabad General Manager Mohammad Arshad said he had not heard of any such incidents in the area. He added the company “properly” tests the gas pipelines for leakage as they are laid. However, he added, gas leaks when people try to take illegal connections from the pipelines. He said no natural gas pipelines are currently being laid in the Teachers’ Colony or Nai Abadi.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 3rd, 2011.