Petronas To Continue Awareness Training On Gas Pipeline Safety

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Local authorities will continue collaborating with Petronas to conduct safety briefings and emergency exercises with those living near gas pipelines, said M Kulasegaran.
The deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) noted that the government has already conducted two engagement sessions this month for residents in the Rasah constituency.
“Petronas will conduct emergency response exercises together with local authorities, security agencies, and local residents to ensure the community’s readiness and safety are always guaranteed.
“This emergency drill aims to test the effectiveness of the response plan, to train the community (including schools and security agencies) to be aware of the correct procedures in any incidents, and ensure smooth coordination between local authorities and the community.
“Petronas also plans to conduct three more emergency drills this year, and several exercises have already been scheduled for next year,” he said.
He was responding to concerns raised by Cha Kee Chin (Harapan-Rasah) during a Special Chamber session in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
Kulasegaran also highlighted that Petronas, over the last three years, have held over 80 awareness training activities with local authorities and communities, including establishing an emergency response hotline.
He added that in 2025, a total of 14 community engagement sessions will be carried out nationwide with residential communities along Petronas’ gas pipeline.
The deputy minister also clarified that the gas pipeline’s total length is 2,675km, with only 35km of that length within the Rasah parliamentary constituency.
More proactive steps?
Earlier, the Rasah MP questioned if the government had plans to take more proactive measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring, following the Petronas pipeline explosion in Putra Heights in April this year.
Cha highlighted how at least five residential areas within his constituency are located within 5km of a Petronas gas pipeline, and stressed how residents have expressed serious concerns.
He also acknowledged how an engagement session had been conducted in his constituency on Nov 2, where residents raised questions regarding preventative measures which should be taken.
Last month, 36 Putra Heights residents filed a lawsuit against Petronas, seeking compensation for the incident, which destroyed at least 81 homes.
A major fire involving a Petronas gas line at 8.10am on April 1 saw flames rise to a height of more than 30m with temperatures reaching 1,000 degrees Celsius, transforming the landscape of the area into a large crater.
The incident also destroyed rows of homes and property within a 500m radius. There were also reports of burn injuries among victims evacuated from homes.

Following the incident, it was speculated that the explosion had to do with construction activities in an area close to the explosion site.Several visuals had also gone viral, showing heavy machinery and construction workers purportedly encroaching on the pipeline’s safety buffer zones before the fire.
However, on June 30, the Occupational Safety and Health Department (Dosh) revealed that the pipe involved in the explosion was not fully supported by the soil around it due to cyclic loading, causing a weakness in the welded joint that broke apart and started the fire.
Several MPs have since urged the government to stop allowing new housing projects in areas close to gas pipelines to prevent similar tragedies from occurring. - Mkini

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