Another Gas Pipeline Explodes at Sui in Pakistan -Gas supply to the Northern Part restored partially Special Report

SUI (TWT): A second fire erupted Wednesday along a Pakistani gas pipeline complex as police searched for feuding tribesmen blamed for a rocket attack that caused an earlier breach that disrupted gas supplies to industry, officials said.

The second fire blazed for about two hours near the town of Sui, where the country's main gas pumping installations are located. The pipe carries gas from a well to a storage facility, and apparently ruptured accidentally, an official said.

"The pipeline burst with an explosion, causing a fire," said Saifullah, an engineer for the state-run Pakistan Petroleum Co. based at Sui, about 650 kilometers (400 miles) south of Pakistan's capital, Islamabad.

There were no casualties and Saifullah said they were investigating the cause of the accident.

On Tuesday, the firing of rockets by members of Pakistan's two main tribes, the Bugti and Mazari, caused a major rupture along a section of the pipeline that supplies gas to many parts of northern and eastern Pakistan. A roaring fire ensued and several major industries were unable to receive gas supplies. Supplies to homes were not affected.

Federal government Wednesday directed stringent action against the culprits who blew up the gas pipeline near Sui disrupting gas supply to the Punjab, NWFP industries and CNG stations .

A detailed report is also summoned" the spokesman added. The spokesman claimed that the raging fire has been manned but the restoration of lines will take sometime .

The Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources, Ch. Nouraiz Shakoor Wednesday said that the government has constituted a high level committee to probe into the Sui Gas pipeline blast incident some 18 miles downstream of Sui field last night that not only caused colossal loss to the national exchequer but also disrupted gas supply to various parts of the country .

In a statement issued here, the Minister directed the concerned authorities to mobilize extraordinary efforts for early restoration of the gas supply which is expected within 48 hours tentatively and make appropriate security measures for the gas transmission .

It may be added that the SNGPL transmission lines were damaged at a point 18 miles downstream of Sui field due to sabotage at 1900 hrs on Tuesday. There are two lines one of 24 diameter and one of 30 diameter and these were passing through a valve assembly was damaged completely due to the blast with the result that both lines had to be shut off using the valves at Sui field and Indus crossing at Guddu .

The blast caused an extensive fire at the valve assembly and completely destroyed it and created a 50 ft * 100ft *50 trench .

Sui field Pirkoh and Lori fields supply approximately 600 MMEDF of gas out of total in-put into the company's system of about 1120 mmefd. Qadirpur field, Dhodak field and the gas fields located in the Potohar, supplies the remaining gas. Supply from the latter is not affectedly the blast near Sui Fields .

The Gas supply was disrupted in different sectors of the federal capital on Wednesday after rocket attacks by the terrorists on the pipeline at Goth Mazari area, connecting Baluchistan, Sindh and Punjab .

The rocket attacks have caused extensive damage that suspended the gas supply to several areas of the Punjab province .

Different gas consumers belonging to the capitals are suffering because of suspension of low gas supply. The management of the Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) has hoped that engineers were working to repair the lines and the gas supply will be restored within 30 hours .

The SNGPL management has also closed down gas supply of the general industry including textile, steel, paper and soap in the Punjab and NWFP. The 2,215 kilometres Sui gas pipeline network is a major supplier of domestic gas .