Gas cylinders: A ticking time bomb?

Jun 17, 2023

Breaking News

Sabitri Dhakal

Feb. 17, 2023, 10:32 p.m.

At Tulsipur (Dang) on Thursday, two persons sustained burns in a gas cylinder explosion.

On January 16, 2019, one woman died and four sustained injuries when a gas cylinder went off at Deep Jyoti in Tokha municipality-9, Kathmandu. While on November 6, 2021, a gas cylinder explosion at Mangal Bazaar claimed four members of a family while they were preparing food.Nepal Police data suggest that most of such explosions have occurred at homes. The records suggest that 10 such incidents were reported from across the country in the fiscal 2020-2021, which killed three people and left 10 injured. Of the 10 places where the blasts occurred, eight were homes, a shop and a workshop each.“The leakages and explosions are happening because a lot of people in the cities use gas cylinders for cooking in the households,” says Shree Krishna Thapa, program manager at Burns Violence Survivors Nepal.These incidents have set off alarm bells, bringing safety issues to the fore. As for risk reduction measures, experts suggest that the government should regulate the safety status of gas cylinders and monitor the market regularly to reduce chances of blasts and death/injuries in such incidents.Hydraulic tests necessaryExperts point that gas-bottlers supplying low-quality cylinders are mainly to blame for a growing number of accidents involving the cylinders. “Cylinders are sold in the market without subjecting them to hydraulic tests. Hydraulic tests should be conducted to measure a cylinder’s capacity to withstand pressure as a gas cylinder cannot withstand pressure forever,” says Prof Dr Binay Kumar Jha, Central Department of Chemistry, Tribhuvan University. Life of cylinders decreases because of damages that occur during their loading and unloading, observes Prof Jha.“The cutting of the foot ring and neck rings of the cylinders, and welding also decrease the cylinder’s capacity to withstand pressure. Tampered cylinders should be immediately destroyed.”LPG regulationThe Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Regulation 2065 states that a cooking gas cylinder should be subjected to hydraulic tests after it is 10 years old. Such tests should be conducted every five years thereafter.The regulation clearly mentions that repaired cylinders, cylinders welded after cutting the foot-ring and neck-ring or containing oily substance in the valve should be smashed or crushed.The gas cylinder used for refilling the cylinders should clearly bear the name of the cylinder manufacturer and its logo, the name of the gas filling industry name and its logo, hydrostatic tests conducted, working or test pressure, weight of the cylinder without gas, capacity of water, weight of gas filled in the cylinder, and the date of testing.The gas depots should not sell the gas cylinders which do not have proper weight, or the cylinders from which the gas is leaking, or the damaged cylinders. Those cylinders should be marked with a special symbol and so be separated, the regulation points.If the gas used for the domestic or business purpose is differentiated by weight and color, then the gas cylinders for domestic purpose should not be sold for business purposes.But the regulation remains on paper.Consumers need to be awareDespite the regulation, cylinders that would not pass the safety standards are circulating in the market.“We can see a lot of cylinders that are very old. The government and the LPG bottlers are not serious about their quality,” points Madhav Timalsina, president of Consumer’s Right Investigation Forum.The cylinders, stoves, regulators and pipes should have quality. “The government should take immediate action to control the supply of low-quality cylinders. Otherwise, these ‘bombs’ in our homes may explode anytime,” says Timalsina.Consumers also need to be aware while using LPG cylinders, consumer activists say.Don’t switch lightsAny ignition source–open flame, electric spark, etc–can ignite gas in the room and cause an explosion. To prevent electric spark, one must not turn on an electrical device or disconnect it from the wall after detecting the hazard.“Do not turn on or turn off a light switch or other electrical device. Anything electrical may cause a spark and trigger fire if there’s gas leakage. It could be a light switch, candles or matches.” Dr Jha suggests that the government give subsidies to auto sensor and auto cut regulators so that everyone can use it and make mandatory tests for checking the gas regulators.Avoiding burns LPG cylinders, if not handled properly, can lead to disastrous and fatal consequences. If the gas escapes into a confined space and is ignited, explosion can occur. Following safety precautions should be followed to reduce chances of accidents.

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