Reza Mahmud :
Increasing incidents of explosions with deaths and injuries the gas cylinders have followed by 1500 deaths in last 10 years is a matter to be reviewed for checking explosions.
The users are now terming gas cylinder as ‘a live bomb which may be exploded in any time and claim life’.
Meanwhile, officials concerned said the cylinders are not being exploded itself, but their accessories are mainly liable behind the explosions.
They advised the people to use quality and standard accessories for avoiding such fatal incidents.
Data received from the Department of Explosives showed that about 1500 people died from 900 incidents of gas cylinder explosions in the last 10 years.
When contacted, Abul Kalam Azad, Chief Inspector, Department of Explosives, told The New Nation on Saturday. “Firstly, it should be clear that gas cylinders itself are not being exploded. There is no record of exploding gas cylinder itself in any single case.”
He said, “Poor quality accessories of gas cylinders are behind the incidents which claimed many lives in those explosions.”
Officials and experts said gas cylinder has several accessories needed to use it. Sub-standard and quality accessories are behind the explosions, they said.
Besides, using the cylinders in wrong ways also caused hazardous incidents, they said.
Officials said gas cylinders accessories, like safety cap, hose pipe, rubber ring, regulator and gas valve should be up to the mark quality.
If any user buy and use poor quality accessories they might live in risk of explosion, they said.
Abul Kalam Azad said, gas can be leaked from any of those accessories in houses.
The leaked gas can be stored in concerned house and might cause explosion if those come in touch with any fire or spark, he said.
The Chief Inspector of Explosives said, no one should buy and use low quality accessories and live with such fatal threat to save a little amount of money.
When contacted, eminent energy expert Dr M Tamim, a professor at Petroleum and Mineral Resources Engineering Department of Bangladesh University Engineering and Technology (BUET) told The New Nation last night. “There is no any policy to protect peoples’ right in this sector yet. There is no monitoring about quality also. Which all are behind the incidents.”
The expert said, all of the matters should be brought to a single framework. Test and security must be ensured, he said.
Experts said, the gas cylinders should keep straight on the floor.
It must be kept in open area and minimum three feet away from stoves.
It never should carry wrongly and not to be heated for exploring gas quickly.
According to the sources of the Department of Explosives, 12 people so far have died in last 30 days from gas cylinder explosions across the country.As per the data, on December 3, a gas cylinder explosion claimed three lives out of four burnt members in a family in Mukterpur of Munshigonj sadar upazila.
On November 22, a gas cylinder explosion caused four peoples’ death in a house in Mugda in the capital.On November 12, a gas cylinder explosion in Janapath intersection of Sayedabad claimed five death one after another after burnt six people.
Besides, several others have burnt in separate explosions of gas cylinders in Narayangonj on December 4, in Mongla industrial area on November6.
Meanwhile, two people have died in a gas cylinder explosion on July 9 in Satkania of Chittagong.
