Over 20-year-old pipelines and usage of archaic technology were primarily responsible for the gas leakage and fire accident that caused over 15 deaths besides huge loss of property near Nagaram village, Mamidikuduru mandal in East Godavari district, according to domain experts and locals. The Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) pipelines, in which gas belonging to Oil and Natural Gas Company (ONGC) is transported, were laid over 20 years ago and most of the junctions are exposed and vulnerable to leakages, said a senior official working with a renowned oil and natural gas company. “Firstly, the pipelines should have been replaced, at least at junctions. Secondly, there was no safety mechanism in place to identify, alert and arrest the leakage,” he said under conditions of anonymity. According to eye witnesses, the leaking gas from the pipeline was noticed at midnight on Friday and it had enveloped the area by early morning. When Vaka Nageswara Rao, who runs a tea stall adjacent to the pipeline, lit his stove in the morning, the gas caught fire, triggering the massive explosion, they said. The trunk pipeline had been repaired just two days ago. The damage could have been much higher had the flames spread to nearby Tatipaka ONGC Refinery Station. The GAIL pipeline runs in front of the gas collection centre and the Tatipaka mini refinery of the ONGC. thehindu/news/cities/Vijayawada/safety-norms-thrown-to-the-winds-experts/article6155816.ece?ref=relatedNews
Posted on: Sat, 28 Jun 2014 06:11:55 +0000
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