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After the explosion at a mosque in Fatullah in Narayanganj last Friday, users were seen discussing social media issues related to the use of air conditioning and the safety of gas lines.
Following the publication of the news of the accident in Narayanganj, it was initially thought that the accident was due to the explosion of the air conditioning in the mosque. However, the fire service later reported that the accident may have occurred due to a leak in the gas pipe that runs under the floor of the mosque.
Gas line leaks, AC explosions, gas cylinder explosions, and electrical disturbances often cause fires or explosions in the country. And in most cases, these accidents happen at home. The media reported on the BBC.
The BBC report seeks to highlight common causes of home fires and issues that need to be addressed to avoid accidents.
Electrical disturbances
Electrical disturbances are the main source of fires in Bangladesh every year.
According to the fire service, 39 percent of all fires in the country in 2019 were due to electrical disturbances.
Fires can occur from the electrical connections of a building for various reasons such as electrical short circuit, not using cable according to the electricity load, not using quality materials, weakness in the building design, lack of maintenance, etc.
Lieutenant-Colonel Zillur Rahman, Director of Operations and Maintenance of the Bangladesh Department of Civil Defense and Fire Service, said: “One of the main causes of electrical fires in buildings in Bangladesh is the overloading of electrical wiring systems. buildings”.
Lieutenant Colonel Zillur Rahman said: “There are many such old buildings in Bangladesh in the eighties or nineties, whose wiring systems were built to meet the demand of the time. At that time our life was easy, the use of electrical equipment was less.
“If devices such as air conditioning, refrigerator, microwave oven, smart TV are used in a building with an old wiring system, then naturally that wiring system will not be able to support the load and there will be a risk of short circuit,” added Lieutenant Colonel Zillur Rahman.
Concerned people say that when buying an air conditioner, you should buy an air conditioner from an established brand after checking and rating it well.
Apart from this, due to the ignorance of the users, electrical shorts are often used, said Lieutenant Colonel Zillur Rahman.
Lieutenant Colonel Zillur Rahman added: “When we buy small appliances, like multi-plugs or plugs, we buy less expensive ones to save money and attach heavy appliances like refrigerators, washing machines to the multi-plugs. This is one of the main causes of short circuit in using cheap and unplugged multiple plugs.
Lt. Col. Zillur Rahman also said awareness should be raised about the use of electrical equipment. Prolonged AC maintenance can put pressure on the electrical capacity of the building, often leading to accidents.
Keeping lights or fans on for a long time without turning off the power connection of the computer or television can also cause a short circuit.
Lieutenant Colonel Zillur Rahman advised raising awareness in the use of household appliances as well as buying products from established brands with warranty or guarantee when buying electronic equipment. He said: ‘To save money on buying air conditioning, we often use unbranded and not cheap air conditioning. But we don’t know if it was actually made by a professional mechanic, or in a place like Dholakhal, with good parts from three or four broken ACs. So when buying these devices, even if the price is high, you must buy a good brand product.
Gas line error
In the country explosions or fires are often heard due to gas leaks due to failures in gas lines.
Incidents, such as gas explosions, occur for a variety of reasons, including not maintaining the gas line for a long time and illegally connecting to gas.
According to the fire service, at least 18 percent of the total fires in Bangladesh in 2019 were caused by stove fires. However, according to Zillur Rahman, director of the company’s operations and maintenance department, most of this was due to carelessness and ignorance by users. However, he said there could be a fire in the house from the kitchen because of the gas line problem.
Zillur Rahman said: ‘It is often seen in slum areas of the city that gas connections are illegally stolen. In many cases, the gas connection may be faulty. Such connections create security risks.
Zillur Rahman said that the home’s gas connection should be checked regularly by a mechanic and if there are any problems on the line, the appropriate authorities should be informed immediately.
Gas cylinder
Just as the use of gas cylinders for cooking has increased in Bangladesh in recent years, so has the rate of gas cylinder accidents such as fires or explosions.
According to 2016 estimates from the Bangladesh Explosives Department, the number of gas cylinders used for cooking is about 5 million.
Many of the customers who use cylinders or are distributors in the field do not understand the pros and cons of cylinders.
Mashiur Khandaker, director of the Safe Cylinders Campaign, a non-profit organization that works to raise awareness about the use of gas cylinders, said that buying cheap, unlicensed cylinders for cooking gas cylinders, such as electrical appliances, also increases the risk of accidents.
Mashiur Khandaker said: “Many of the gas cylinders available in Bangladesh are manufactured according to the proper rules, but many of them are counterfeit. These dummy cylinders present a fire hazard.
Cylindrical gas is now used for cooking in many parts of the country.
Again, accidents often occur as a result of using expired cylinders. Cylinders typically have a useful life of 10-15 years. If they are used even after that period, there is a risk of explosion, ”added Mashiur Khandaker.
In many cases, the cylinders are not transported according to the proper rules and errors can be seen in them.
Mashiur Khandaker also said that gas cylinders explode due to some user errors.
Mashiur Khandaker said: “Most of the time the gas cylinder is seen to be kept under lock and key under the stove in the kitchen. If the cylinder is kept in an open place without keeping it in a closed environment, the risk of accident is less.
Mashiur Khandaker added that users should try to keep the cylinder on the veranda by using a slightly longer pipe. He also said that tilting or not keeping the cylinder straight could also create an accident risk.
Mashiur Khandaker said: “It is often seen that when the gas runs out, people tilt the cylinder to use up all the gas in the cylinder, shake it up and use it again. Tilting can cause liquid gas to enter the cylinder head, which can cause an accident.
Mashiur Khandaker said that one could try sniffing the pipe near the pipe to see if there is a gas leak from the cylinder.
Water tanks and septic tanks
Although there are not many reports of casualties due to explosions in water tanks or toxic gases in septic tanks in Bangladesh, these accidents do occur occasionally.
The issue of tank safety came up in 2016 after five people were killed in an explosion while cleaning a reserve water tank in Dhaka’s Mirpur.
Previously, after cleaning a water tank and lighting a fire or electric torch, an explosion and fire occurred when it came into contact with the accumulated gas.
Additionally, there have been a number of deaths in recent years due to toxic gases in septic tanks.
Experts say that to avoid the risk of such accidents, professional individuals or organizations should have the responsibility to clean the tanks.
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