Use of expired LPG cylinders on the rise, poses great risks

Lax government supervision and lack of proper regulations are the reason behind the rampant use of these cylinders, which are most likely expired, they said. Sources in the energy sector said the LPG cylinders that are imported by the state-owned LP Gas Limited, a company under Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC), have the lifespan of 15 years as per the global standard. Once expired, the cylinders must be replaced and disposed of to avoid leakage or other hazards – especially at the consumer end. However, the Dhaka Tribune found out that at least 200,000 of the 450,000 LPG cylinders imported by LP Gas Ltd are more than 20 years old. These cylinders are supposed to be scrapped; instead they are available for use around the country, posing great safety risks for users. Due to the lack of proper LPG policy and guideline by the government, there is no practice of periodically replacing expired cylinders in Bangladesh, experts said. Moreover, the cylinders that enter Bangladesh are not properly checked for safety by the authorities concerned, which makes it easier for suppliers to flood the market with substandard cylinders. Lack of awareness among the consumers make the matter worse, they added. Fazlur Rahman, general manager of LP Gas Ltd, told the Dhaka Tribune that there is no mention of 15-year lifespan of a LPG cylinder in the amended LPG Rule 2004. Although concern over this issue has been voiced several times, it came to light again after around 200 LPG cylinders exploded and caused a massive fire in an LPG depot in Bogra, owned by Padma oil distribution company, on Saturday. Investigating the explosion, officials of LP Gas Ltd found that the gas pressure inside the cylinders were way beyond their capacity, which caused a leak and led to an explosion, an official of the company told the Dhaka Tribune. Petrobangla has been notified about the high gas pressure in the cylinders several times, but no steps have been taken to resolve the issue, he said, requesting not to be named. However, Rajshahi Divisional LP Gas Distributors' Association blames the distribution authorities for the accident. Ahsanul Rashid Dablu, general secretary of the organisation, said the cylinders distributed by Padma as well as Meghna and Jamuna – all state-owned distribution companies that operate under the BPC – are very old and extremely unsafe to use. “The authorities concerned have been asked to replace these cylinders repeatedly, but they have yet to take any action,” he told our Bogra correspondent on Saturday. Earlier, the association staged a protest against the widespread availability of expired cylinders on August 1 demanding immediate steps to stop the distribution of “date-expired and risky” LPG cylinders in 16 northern districts. Ahsan requested the chief inspector of the Department of Explosives to look into the matter. When contacted, Chief Inspector of Explosives Md Shamsul Alam said there were roughly around five million LPG cylinders – both privately and government issued – currently in use in Bangladesh. “Including the headquarters, the department has five offices in Dhaka, Khulna, Chittagong, Rajshahi and Sylhet and has a total of 107 employees. It is not possible to inspect such a huge number of cylinders with this workforce.” Asked about the Bogra incident, he said Assistant Chief Inspector of Explosives in Rajshahi Md Asadul Islam is due to submit a probe report in this regard, which will be forwarded to the Energy and Mineral Resources Division.