Most Sri Lankan families used to cook their meals using either firewood or kerosene before the advent of Liquefied Petroleum (LP) gas. Now, apart from a few super rich families who cook exclusively with electricity, more than 80 percent of the households use LP gas for cooking. There are many advantages of LP gas - it is easy to procure, a 12.5 Kg cylinder lasts a couple of months for a family of four or five, there is minimal air pollution and it is generally safe. Worldwide too, most households have switched to LP gas – 44 percent of the global production of LP gas goes for household consumption.
Like every other volatile gas, LP gas should be handled carefully. Accidents can and do happen with LP gas. Even in Sri Lanka, there used to be a few LP Gas related accidents from time to time, some of which proved to be fatal. But these were the exception rather than the norm and people kept their faith in LP gas despite these rare accidents.
Serial LP gas related explosions and incidents are still rare around the world, as LP gas is supposed to be packaged under strict quality control standards.
Yet, Sri Lankans have experienced a spate of LP gas related blasts and incidents for a few months in a row, starting with a blast at a popular fast food restaurant at the Race Course. To date, over 400 such incidents have been reported islandwide, with at least two fatalities. Serious injuries have been caused to several others. This is an inexcusable state of affairs that should have required urgent attention. But both the authorities and the two LP gas importing companies were rather reluctant to probe the incidents that occurred with alarming frequency.
The two LP gas companies as well as the authorities concerned proffered various reasons for the blasts. They blamed the consumers for using old gas cookers and sub-standard hoses and regulators. They alleged that people had failed to repair or replace their cookers and accessories during the pandemic lockdown periods. At no time did they acknowledge that the fault could possibly lie in the LP gas mixture or cylinders.
Even in the face of overwhelming evidence that hundreds of gas cookers around the island could not have become faulty almost at the same time, they buried their heads in the sand and pretended not to hear the blasts.
Under intense pressure from consumer groups and political parties, the LP gas companies finally agreed to let experts test the LP gas mixture under laboratory and real world conditions. This proved what most analysts had suspected all along – that the companies had ‘experimented’ with the composition of Butane and Propane (the two main components of LP gas). There really is no worldwide standard as such for LP gas and various countries use different ratios of Butane and Propane in domestic cylinders.
However, the cylinders, regulators and hoses should be able to withstand the pressure thus created by the gas mixture. The cylinders and cooking equipment/accessories used here simply could not cope with the pressure generated by the newly changed gas composition. The only way out was a blast.
It is rather alarming that no action has been taken so far against the managements of the gas companies for their role in this sordid saga. In any other country, they would already be behind bars. They should also be compelled to pay compensation for all aggrieved parties. After all, they deliberately changed the composition of the LP gas mixture.
They most certainly have experts and engineers who could have foretold the consequences. Were they not consulted?
It is a pity that several consumer groups had to seek legal redress to urge the authorities to take action against those responsible under criminal law. The two Ministers concerned should also have played a more pro-active role from the consumers’ point of view, instead of taking the side of the LP gas companies as they initially did. Now they rightly insist on strict action against the perpetrators. This is a good lesson for all politicians that they should not jump to any conclusions hastily and that they should always look at things from the public’s perspective.
For consumers caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, the courts have delivered justice and solace. Accordingly, the LP gas companies are required to replace the existing cylinders free of charge.
This is a good move, but the new cylinders must strictly conform to the new standards to be promulgated by the Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI). Before being released to the market, they should be thoroughly tested in real world (i.e. normal kitchen) conditions.
It is completely mystifying as to how Sri Lanka lacked a proper unifying standard for LP gas all this time, whereas SLSI certification is available for everything else from chilli powder to jam. It is heartening to note that this serious lacuna is being addressed at least now. A proper mechanism should be evolved to test LP gas cylinders in the ship itself before unloading, so that any unfit stocks can be rejected on the spot. This has now been done at least once and is a victory for consumers.
It is also time to explore safe alternatives to LP gas for consumer use. Safer kerosene stoves have become popular after the recent incidents and solar power enables households to use electric stoves. Regardless of the method and substance used, safety is of paramount importance and all efforts should be expended in this direction.