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Konaseema sitting on a tinderbox?
The coconut-rich Konaseema seems to be sitting on a tinderbox as leakage of gas pipelines in the Krishna-Godavari basin has become a quite frequent phenomenon. Normally, oil and gas wells in the offshore are connected to the Gas Collection Stations (GCS) through pipelines. Gas from the GCS is sent to the main pipeline through which the fuel is supplied to industries.
Amalapuram: The coconut-rich Konaseema seems to be sitting on a tinderbox as leakage of gas pipelines in the Krishna-Godavari basin has become a quite frequent phenomenon. Normally, oil and gas wells in the offshore are connected to the Gas Collection Stations (GCS) through pipelines. Gas from the GCS is sent to the main pipeline through which the fuel is supplied to industries.
The State-owned oil companies have pipelines of 550 km length in Konaseema. The length of oil and gas pipelines in private sector is put at 1,562 km in the area. After the blast of a gas pipeline of Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) at Nagaram village in June 27, 2014, in which 19 people were killed, GAIL took up the task of laying a new main pipeline. But the works are not going on at a brisk pace due to the geological conditions in fertile Konaseema.
As Pasarlapudi, Devarlanka, Devarapalli and Tandavapalli blowouts are still afresh in the minds of Konaseema people, the frequent leakage of pipelines in Razole and other places are scaring them. According to sources, most of the pipelines of ONGC and GAIL in the purview of Tatipaka and Ponnamanda Gas Collection Stations completed their lifespan and need immediate replacement.
It was alleged that the State-owned oil companies were not plugging the gas pipeline leakages in Razole on a permanent basis and the standard operating procedure was not being followed strictly in laying pipelines in the densely populated areas. The unauthorised structures that came up on the pipelines at many places and non-adherence to quality standards in laying new pipelines compounded the fears of people.
As per norms, hydrostatic tests should be conducted on the pipelines once in two years to assess their strength and avert possible leakages. Generally, gas is transported through the pipelines at 70 kg per square cm pressure in the Krishna Godavari basin.
The hydrostatic tests at double the pressure need to be conducted on the pipelines to prevent leakages and thwart any untoward incidents. But the safety norms are not being duly followed. Expressing concern over their safety, people urged the State-owned oil companies to thwart any untoward incident in the agricultural rich Konaseema by focusing on proper maintenance of gas pipelines.
