KARACHI: An oil pipeline of the Pak Arab Refinery Company (PARCO) burst last night in Korangi area, Karachi. A state of emergency has been declared in the heavily populated area and as of press time rescue operations were underway.
Due to the broken pipeline, huge quantities of oil flowed out to the surrounding area. The initial jet was up to 20 feet high and spread over to a large area. The incident occurred at around 6:45 p.m. when a maintenance team of the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) accidentally hit an oil pipeline, causing a crack in pipeline that sent a 90-foot high fountain of oil to spew upward, residents said. The oil spread to the residential area and the houses. The oil kept spewing for nearly two hours. More than 500 houses have been affected with thousands of people having to move out.
Police and PARCO teams arrived and secured residents on the scene. While residents were being sent to safer locations, they were also requested not to light any matches or use lighters. The electricity and gas supply to the affected region has also been disconnected to avoid any major accidents.
Though many residents feel that it might be an act of sabotage, PARCO has said that the accident occurred during routine maintenance work. They however cannot say how long it will take to repair the pipeline. Meanwhile, the Sindh Chief Secretary, Fazalur Rehman, has blamed the Sui Gas Company for negligence.
SSGC Media Relations Manager Inayatullah Ismail said that the crew was engaged in the installation of a Town Border Station when the incident occurred.
According to him, the incident was not necessarily caused by the SSGC team's actions, stating that it is possible that the pipeline burst due to an increase in pressure or any other technical fault.
Explaining why the SSGC did not obtain permission from the CDGK, he said that, since the team was not working on the road, permission was not necessary
While many people were leaving the affected area, a few found this opportunity to collect the "black gold" that came to their doorsteps unexpectedly. The broken pipeline is expected to cost PARCO millions of worth of rupees.
