Gas leak again: School closed indefinitely

DCO says that safety experts from Fauji Fertiliser and Fatima Fertiliser had been called to survey the site.

BAHAWALPUR: The Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Kot Samba has been closed indefinitely after 121 people, including students and teachers, fainted on Tuesday from inhaling fumes from a Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) line nearby. Rescue 1122 workers took 56 of them to Shaikh Zayed Medical College Hospital and 65 to the rural health centre. They were later all reported to be out of danger. Principal Shahnaz Fatima said that examinations for class 6 were scheduled to begin on February 1 and those for class 8 on February 8. She feared that the incidents will affect the students’ performance. Muhammad Khalid, father of one of the students, said that both the SNGPL and the school administration were responsible for its reoccurrence. Site Engineer Naeem Akhtar Wattoo was not available for his comments. DCO Nabeel Javed said that the SNGPL general manager has been requested to direct his staff to stop using the hazardous chemical. He said safety experts from Fauji Fertiliser and Fatima Fertiliser had been called to survey the site. On January 24, some 80 students and teachers had fainted after inhaling fumes believed to be from oil used by SNGPL workers to check gas leaks.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st, 2013.