Expired LPG cylinders are ticking time bombs
More and more people are getting injured, burnt and dying due to cylinder blasts over the last couple of years. CNG and LPG cylinders are typically high-pressure gas reservoirs that can explode at any time after their estimated lifespan. A cylinder is supposed to be checked every five years, but in Dhaka there are not more than nineteen checking centres. Do we actually take these measures? We only become concerned once an explosion has occurred.
CNG is a gas lighter than air that needs to be filled into the cylinders with high pressure, while LPG, also pressurised, is heavier than regular air and is prone to settling down close to the ground when dispersed. A leakage in low quality or expired LPG cylinder can disperse the gas at the floor level and cause an explosion if anyone tries to ignite fire. Meanwhile, the thickness of the CNG cylinder usually gets thinner as time passes, and it eventually become unusable. Using it close to the fire in the kitchen can cause an explosion. Two CNG-run buses colliding with each other can similarly cause a blast in a busy road and destroy an entire area.
In Bangladesh, CNG and LPG cylinders are mostly metallic with a lifespan of roughly 10 years. They must be destroyed after their expiry dates. But, in reality, the cylinders are not abandoned or even tested after the expiry date has elapsed. Moreover, the companies selling cylinder gas are also issuing the fitness certificates of the cylinders. The government policy on the LPG and CNG has to be more stringent. The media should educate and encourage people to be cautious while buying and using the cylinders and to conduct regular check-ups from a certified authority. Stringent measures for the check-up of vehicle cylinders should also be implemented.
Zubair Khaled Huq
Comments