The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said yesterday it will set up a cross-agency platform to inspect and map all the underground pipelines deployed in Greater Kaohsiung for safety monitoring to prevent further gas leaks.
The platform will allow the city government to collaborate with central government agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as fire departments and industrial experts, to examine the network of underground pipelines, the ministry said, adding that the mechanism will take effect tomorrow.
The ministry made the remarks in a statement yesterday following gas explosions caused by a leak from one of the underground pipelines in Greater Kaohsiung late on Thursday night and early on Friday morning in which at least 28 people perished and more than 286 others were injured.
The statement also came amid calls by Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) who urged the ministry to provide detailed information on pipelines belonging to government-run businesses immediately.
“As rescue efforts come to an end and reconstruction starts, one of the most important things we need to figure out is exactly which pipelines managed by different companies are running under the city and where they are,” Chen said yesterday.
“And I think it is necessary for us to check on and rearrange all the pipelines to prevent a similar disaster from occurring,” Chen added.
“We need a lot of help from the central government, not only in terms of funding, but also detailed information on pipelines belonging to government-run companies as soon as possible,” she said.
The city government’s Public Works Bureau director Yang Ming-jou (楊明州) said there is 123,823km of piping running under the city, delivering electricity, water and telecommunication services to households and public or private institutions, as well as gas and other petrochemical substances to factories.
The city government does not have a complete picture of what is under the city, since it only started keeping detailed records on underground pipelines since about 10 years ago, Yang said.
MOEA Deputy Minister Woody Duh (杜紫軍) said separately yesterday that while the ministry is responsible for managing pipelines for petroleum and gas, the local government is responsible for pipelines carrying other substances, while the construction of all pipelines should be approved by the local government, and thus the city government should have maps and other relevant information.
Duh denied he was dodging any responsibility.
“This is an issue that local and central governments need to work together to solve, and to come up with a plan to better manage underground pipelines,” he said.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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