The crack found in the gas pipeline on the Turag riverbed in Savar is yet to be fixed even though three days have passed since the identification of the fault.
Necessary cautionary steps have not also been taken to avert possible accidents. Thus, residents of the nearby areas have expressed grave concern and fear of an imminent accident.
The crack developed near the Bank town bridge on the Dhaka-Aricha highway when a sand-laden trawler hit the Titas gas supply line on Sunday in the afternoon. Since then, large volumes of gas have been bubbling out of the crack with immense pressure and the amount of gas supply from that line has been decreasing.
Yesterday, after an officer from the Savar office of Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company and police from Savar Model Police Station visited the incident site in the morning, an expert team was brought in from Gajipur in the afternoon. The expert team inspected the site but failed to fix the problem.
From the morning yesterday, workers of Titas have been trying to find the crack. Since the pipeline have not been fixed, all kinds of trawler movement through the area have been restricted. Also, different areas in Savar including Fulbaria, Kalinagar are facing gas supply crisis.
Manager of Titas gas office in Savar Sirajul Islam said: “The accident happened because the water level of the river went down and the trawler hit the pipeline. The incident site is being monitored closely to avert any disaster.”