EDITORIAL: Death is a reality. It is inevitable, but as it comes it evokes public interest and inquiry. And this is more often the case when death is caused by a cylinder blast, gas leakage in kitchen or bedroom, asphyxiation while cleaning unused wells and mine cave-ins. In all such cases the cause is lack of proper handling, and in cases of cylinders, their substandard manufacture. The latest accident of cylinder blast was in a Lahore market on Tuesday where LPG cylinders burst one after the other causing grievous injuries to two persons and reducing to ashes five shops and 10 vehicles. The incident took place at four LPG refilling shops. There was panic amid apprehension of terrorism in the city. In no time the burning shops and vehicles and efforts to put off the fire went viral. The people saw the entire incident first hand. These were illegal gas refilling stations in a crowded market, and had flourished under the squint eye of city managers. And to their no avail the people had been complaining against illegal decanting at these shops. But as the fire calmed down the district government did what it always does in such or similar cases: it launched an inquiry into the incident to fix responsibility.

This is not the first case of cylinder blast, and given that there is no official control on cylinder manufacturing or how the gas refilling should be done, it is not going to be the last. What happened in the Lahore market is a common occurrence - like the deaths caused by gas leakage during winter in bedrooms. Scores of people die as they go to bed with gas heaters on which go off as the gas supply is interrupted and then resumed filling the room only to explode when the light is switched on. Same is the case of deaths in unused wells and choked sewerage systems. In the dead wells, carbon dioxide depletes oxygen and causes asphyxiation. The lethal gas is product of organic material deposited at the bottom of any unused well. The deaths while cleaning up the choked sewerage lines take place because of carbon dioxide which comes to reside in there due to little or no supply of oxygen. Then there are regular reports of mine cave-ins, essentially when these are illegal or beyond the official control. These cave-ins are caused either by the mining-induced seismicity (earthquake), flooding or improper use of mining explosives.

Of course in most of the cases such incidents are courtesy improper handling of the related wherewithal. But no less responsible for these are the authorities who are expected to keep watch as who is running illegal gas cylinder refilling. The concerned authorities should also educate people in use of gas as fuel in kitchens or heaters. As for cleaning the dead wells it should not be allowed at all unless adequate oxygen supply is ensured at the place of cleaning or safety masks are provided to the cleaners. One hopes that these generally under-reported and un-noticed causes of fatalities get not only published/aired by the media but also generate event-specific government response.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021