Following the blast, locals in the area have become worried of other gas leaks in the area that might cause another such disaster, reports Bangla Tribune
A massive blast, reportedly caused by a gas leakage from a pipeline of Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited (TGTDCL), at Baitus Salah Jame Mosque in Narayanganj’s Fatullah area has claimed 34 lives till now.
Following the blast, locals in the area have become worried of other gas leaks in the area that might cause another such disaster, reports Bangla Tribune.
According to data from Titas, a company which supplies gas to Dhaka and adjourning areas up to Manikganj, a total of 1,622 leaks have been identified in their distribution pipeline. Of them, only 781 leaks have been sealed while the rest is yet to be attended.
There are concerns of how much danger these 814 leaks pose to the area and its inhabitants.
Also Read- 8 Titas Gas staffers suspended over Naryanganj mosque blast
Most of the pipes in Titas’ distribution network have already depilated and there is lack of maintenance of these pipes after installation. The company attends to such leaks after clients identify the leaks themselves and informs them over the telephone. However, clients get blamed if they find a leak and fail to inform the company. The company also brushes off its responsibility if any accident occurs from an issue outside of their knowledge.
TGTDCL General Manager (Planning and Development) Md Abdul Wahab, who now heads the probe committee formed to investigate the Narayanganj mosque blast, said that the company has found 7% leakages after analysing 400,000 gas risers.
This shows that the company did know about leaks in their pipeline, but these were not fixed in most cases.
TGTDCL Director (Operations) Rana Akbar Haidari told Bangla Tribune: “We have already prepared a list of leaks to be repaired. This list has been divided as per their zones and zonal heads have been given the charge to fix them. We hope to repair most of the leaks within the next one month. Meanwhile, leaks which would be costly to repair have been sorted and sent to the head office. At the same time, the zones have been directed to start the repair works so that the bills can be quickly dispersed.”
He also said: “We are repairing all leaks as per the list as per their zones. Of them, most leak repairs should not take more than two weeks. However, there are some complications. Repairing leaks on pipelines under highways or canals might take almost a month.”
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