Report on Malaysia’s gas pipeline fire has residents worried about future safeguards

PETALING JAYA - Findings from the investigation into the

Putra Heights gas pipeline fire

have triggered even more questions and concerns among those affected by the disaster.

The investigation concluded that soil instability caused a structural failure that allowed gas to leak and subsequently explode.

For Mr Andy Fong, the report raises serious concerns about the reliability of the rest of the gas pipeline network that stretches across the peninsula.

He said the announcement of the findings did not reveal whether inspections would be or are being carried out throughout the underground passage of gas pipelines in the country to ensure another such disaster does not happen.

“We are now concerned for the safety of others who live close to gas pipelines in other parts of the country.

“If weak soil conditions led to the pipeline suffering a structural failure, then it leaves the rest of the pipelines across the country vulnerable to such deterioration.

“After what was revealed in the report, it is extremely worrying to think that such soil movements underground could go unnoticed until the damaged pipeline caused the inferno.

“After all, the pipelines are over 30 years old,” Mr Fong told The Star.

Another affected home owner, who only wanted to be known as Ms Goh, wondered why monitoring systems failed to detect the pipeline moving before it broke and went up in flames.

“I find it weird that none of the measurement systems they had picked up on any abnormalities as the pipeline moved repeatedly.

“Surely if the pipeline moved enough to form stress lines over a period of time, the gas pressure must have changed at least slightly and have been detected,” she said.

Another resident, Mr Norshahrizan Rosli, said the report left him frustrated, as it did not seem to explain how the ground the pipeline was located in became waterlogged or who was at fault.

“From the many years I lived here, I never once saw water stagnating above the area where the pipeline was, and the report doesn’t explain how the soil became so soft and wet. It was all a technical explanation without any hint about who was at fault even after all these months.

“I just want answers about who is at fault so we can take legal action,” the father of three said, adding that he and other victims were planning on taking legal action using the report as evidence.

Dr Muhammad Azam Mokhtar, a resident, said the report left him with more questions and worries than answers as efforts to restore the pipeline’s operation continue near his home.

“It’s worrying to know that it was caused by the land itself, especially since they did not provide any information about safety guarantees, safety measures taken, or whether there would at least be regular monitoring of the soil.

“It feels like whoever built the pipeline did not do their due diligence on soil conditions to ensure the pipeline would be secure over time, and they are still continuing to rebuild it.

“We residents who are still living here have been left hanging without any conclusion or plan while we live at risk, but my family has nowhere else to go,” said the father of two.

He added that his family is feeling extremely worried and scared, as work to construct a new valve for the pipeline has begun in front of his neighbour’s house.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK