The devastation following the gas pipeline blast here on Friday is revealing startling facts about the condition of 30-year-old pipeline and also bringing to fore the human errors such as negligence on the part of both Gas Authority of India (GAIL) officials and villagers.
The Tatipaka Gas Collection Station (GSC) and Mini Refinery of ONGC are getting gas and crude oil from the wells situated in 15 to 20 villages of Mamidikuduru mandal in East Godavari district within seven to eight km radius of Nagaram village – where the blast took pace. Some of these wells are 10 to 15 years old. “Leakage of gas is frequent feature and some major leaks occurred in Ponnamanda village in November 2010. However, there was no human loss even in Pasarlapudi blowout, which is considered the second largest blowout in the world. It lasted for 65 days,” said Kumaraswami, farmers’ leader. The ONGC-GAIL pipeline which is taking gas from Tatipaka GSC to Nagarjuna Fertilizers and Chemicals Limited (NFCL), Kakinada is also 25 years old. Many habitations, constructions have come up and farmers of Konaseema are doing cultivation on top of the pipeline, which is laid six meters below the ground. “Villagers almost forgot that there is a pipeline beneath their houses. People have constructed pucca houses on the pipeline. Some farmers in Amalapuram Rural mandal and other areas have taken up cultivation above the pipeline and even ploughing the soil covered over the pipeline,” said Veerababu, former MPTC of Eedarada village.
The NFCL is getting 2.17 mmbt of gas every day from GAIL terminal near Ramachandrapuram which is connected to one of the five grid lines coming from Tatipaka via Amalapuram Rural mandal.
“If something happens to this old trunk line, it is going to be worse than the Nagaram incident. We are sitting on a time bomb. GAIL has to completely replace the old pipelines with new ones,” said Perabathula Rajasekahar, ZPTC elect. “The fault also lies with us – the people. When the GAIL erects warning boards about pipelines, no one is looking at it. When something happens they are blaming GAIL and ONGC," said a GAIL official.
