An average of two gas explosions occur every week in the area, according to the Fire Service
Published : 13 Apr 2024, 02:18 AM
Nabi Hossain, a teacher at a private secondary school, lived in a rented home in the Khilmarket area of Narayanganj Sadar Upazila’s Kashipur Union. For several days, he had been smelling at his house. He informed his landlord, but nothing was done. Then, on the night of Dec 16, 2023, his mother lit the stove to warm water for a bath. There was a horrible explosion. Nabi and four of his family were burned in the resulting fire.
Nabi, his father Sultan Mia, and his younger brother Ali Hossain survived, but four days after the incident his 50-year-old mother Sahida Begum succumbed to her wounds.
Nabi is still haunted by that horrific blast. Twenty-two percent of his body, including his head and face, his hands and feet were burnt in the fire.
“The fire started in the kitchen, but quickly spread to two other rooms. I was in bed with a blanket on. My mother suffered burns on 53 percent of her body. They could not save her.”
“Her death is more painful than my own burns. It happened in an instant, before we even knew what happened.”
The Fire Service said the doors and windows of the house were closed to keep out the winter chill. When the Titas Gas line started leaking, the gas accumulated in the house, leading to the explosion. The gas connection to the building was illegal.
Narayanganj sees more gas explosions than anywhere else in the country. An average of two gas explosions occur every week in the area, according to the Fire Service. The blasts lead to loss of life and damage to property.
The negligence of the institutions involved and the lack of public awareness have been blamed for the problem, but little to nothing has been done to address it. Instead, whenever a disaster occurs, government agencies attempt to shift the blame onto each other.
Even a small gas fire can kill if it burns a person’s head, face or airways. Those concerned believe deaths from such fires are on the rise.
WHAT THE DATA SAYS
Narayanganj district, which is home to a large labour force, has seen regular casualties from explosions and fires sparked from gas leakages.
From July 2020 to December 2023, the district has seen 315 gas-related fires, according to data from the Narayanganj Fire Service. Most of these fires started from gas leaks in Titas Gas lines.
There have also been several cases of gas cylinder explosions.
At least 136 people have been injured or killed in these incidents.
The worst disaster was in 2020, when a gas leakage at the Baitus Salam Mosque in the Tolla area led to an explosion that killed 34 people.
From January to March this year, 24 people had been burnt in four separate gas explosions in the district. Reports say at least five of them have died.
In 2023, there were 27,624 fire incidents across Bangladesh, according to the Fire Service and Civil Defence Headquarters. Of these, 770 – 2.79 percent - started from gas line leaks. Another 125 were due to gas cylinder or boiler explosions.
WHO ARE THE VICTIMS?
Patients with burn injuries often come to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and Dhaka’s Sheikh Hasina National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute for treatment.
Md Tariqul Islam, the resident doctor at the institute, says the number of incidents caused by household gas accidents has increased. The victims are usually from middle class and lower middle class families. He says from general observation that more of these incidents are happening in areas in and around Dhaka.
“We don’t get upper class or desperately poor patients. Middle class or lower middle class families who rent apartments in high-rises are more often victims of such incidents”
“Gas can leak from lines or cylinders and accumulate in closed rooms, leading to accidents. Few of these incidents occur in Dhaka city proper. Patients are more likely to come in from areas near Dhaka like Savar, Dhamrai, Ashulia, Munshiganj, and Narayanganj.”
Tariqul said, “Accidents due to gas have definitely increased. However, any patient with a gas fire burn is registered as a flame burn patient. Whether they were burned due to a leak in a gas cylinder or a gas line is not noted.”
“Therefore, it is not possible to tell how many incidents have occurred due to leaks in gas cylinders. But what we can see when dealing with patients is that the number of gas accidents has risen more than ever before.”
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?
Fire Service officials have pointed to a number of issues – including the irregular monitoring of Titas’s old gas lines, illegal connections, rigging of connections, and lack of awareness on proper use of gas and cylinder stoves – as contributing to the frequent gas explosions.
Gas fires and explosions are most common in the Fatullah and Siddhirganj areas of Narayanganj Sadar, the Fire Service said. These two areas are crowded by several hundred factories in the area. Blasts are also regularly reported in the Sonargaon, Araihazar, and Rupganj Upazila’s more crowded areas. Some parts of the Bandar Upazila are on the list too.
Most gas explosions occur in homes but there are examples of such fires at factories or commercial establishments, according to Fakhar Uddin Ahmed, deputy assistant director of the Narayanganj Fire Service and Civil Defence.
“In case of residential incidents, we often see on inspection that there is a leak in the gas pipe line or the cylinder line with the stove. If the gas cannot escape, it accumulates inside the house. When an electric spark occurs or a stove is ignited, the gas-filled room explodes and starts a fire.”
Such incidents are more common in the winter because people keep their doors and windows closed to ward off the cold, Ahmed said.
He believes public awareness is the most essential aspect in avoiding such incidents in the future.
However, a Fire Service official, on condition of anonymity said, “In these cases, gas distribution companies need to conduct regular supervision. And not only in residences. In lots of cases the explosions occur due to leakages from the main distribution lines running underground. Repairing Titas’s old lines is imperative.”
Nabi knows this all too well. During his tenure as the youth head of the Narayanganj District Red Crescent Society, he worked with the Fire Service on various incidents.
“Titas’s lines in Narayanganj are very old,” the gas fire victim said. “The owners of residential buildings don’t care about gas lines. Likewise, Titas Gas never checks for defects or leaks in the gas lines at the distribution level. If Titas conducts regular inspections, these accidents will be reduced by a significant degree.”
WHAT DOES TITAS HAVE TO SAY?
The Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company is responsible for residential and commercial gas distribution in the Narayanganj District. They have nearly 66,000 legal residential customers in Narayanganj’s five Upazilas. It also supplies gas to 591 industrial factories.
Anisur Rahman, the deputy general manager of the Narayanganj Regional Marketing Department at Titas Gas, blames lack of awareness of customers as the main cause of such accidents.
“Titas provides connections to the main line of residential buildings, but building owners look after the connections to the stoves. If there is any kind of leakage from there into a closed room, it can ignite on contact with fire and lead to an explosion.”
“In addition, many other companies doing underground work damage our main distribution lines and cause leaks. We can’t take action before we know about the leaks. Many of the accidents also happen due to illegal connections.”
In 2020, a leak in the Titas Gas distribution line led to the horrific Baitus Salat Jamme Mosque fire in the Sadar Upazila. The investigation report by the district administration advised Titas to regularly inspect lines at the residential customer level.
When asked about such inspections, Anisur said, “Titas does not have the option to conduct door-to-door inspections. If anyone has a leak or connection problem, we respond quickly. That is the main process. So, customer awareness is key.”
“They have to use better quality burners and replace burners when they get old. In case of a leak, if you report it to Titas without trying to fix it yourself, we will arrange for skilled technicians. But, in many cases, customers feel like they don’t need our help.”
The official also said that Titas is in the process of replacing old distribution lines in the Narayanganj District.
NO SPECIAL FACILITY TO TREAT PATIENTS
Dhiman Saha Jewel, president of rights group Shusashoner Jonno Nagorik or SHUJAN’s Narayanganj district chapter, said Titas cannot evade responsibility for the gas fire incidents.
“Titas stopped giving new connections a long time ago, but they don’t maintain or monitor the old lines. It’s part of Titas’ mismanagement,” he said.
“Besides this, unskilled people give illegal connections. Titas should take steps to stop this in coordination with other government agencies.”
Dhiman also pointed out that there is no special facility for patients with burns in Narayanganj.
The two government hospitals and the Upazila health complexes in the district do not even have arrangements for first-aid for such patients, he said.
“All the patients are sent to Dhaka. These patients would have been benefited had they received first-aid at the district level,”
Dhiman said the Health Division should take care of this matter.
AVOIDING RISK OF GAS ACCIDENTS
Use of gas eases the hassle of cooking, but brings in risks of accidents as well. People in the sector say a little carefulness can save lives.
According to the Department of Explosives, things that gas stove users should be aware of:
SMELL OF GAS: In case of a leak, there will be the smell of gas. And if you smell gas, open the doors and windows and evacuate immediately. Do not switch on any kind of electric device, or light a fire. Call the Fire Service and Civil Defence.
If the meter of a prepaid gas connection shows the bill rising even after the stove is turned off, assume that there is a leak.
SOUND: You may hear a hissing sound from the cylinder, stove or pipeline in case of a leak. So, try to detect if there is any such sound before lighting a fire.
AIR: The place with the stove, cylinder or pipeline must have enough space for air to move out. Kitchen window must always be kept open.
CYLINDER: Gas cylinders must be kept in a vertical position on a flat space. It can never be kept in a horizontal or tilted position.
Refilled cylinders cannot be rolled while moving.
Cylinders must be kept away from and at a position lower than the stove.
Use the safety cap for cylinders properly.
PIPE, KNOB AND REGULATOR: Cylinders usually do not explode or leak, but gas may come out through faulty valves, ring, regulator and knob.
The pipe connecting the stove to the cylinder may also have leaks.
Check all these things by an expert at least once a year.
Leaks can be detected by applying soap-water on a suspected spot.
STOVE: Check stove knobs and turn them off after cooking.
Open the kitchen window and wait for a few minutes before igniting the stove.
Be careful about suspicious smells or sounds before lighting a fire.