The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has urged Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) plant operators to take necessary measures to ensure the safety of end-users of cooking gas in Kaduna State.
The DPR North West Zonal Operational Controller, Mr Isa Tafida, gave the task at a one-day stakeholders’ sensitisation meeting on Wednesday in Kaduna.
Tafida said relevant agencies were taking necessary regulatory measures to ensure only licensed operators dispensed the commodity to consumers. He noted that the recent gas explosion at Sabo Tasha and the proliferation of LPG plants and retailers across the state informed the need to enlighten stakeholders on the requirements to adopt and adhere strictly to Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in dispensing gas to consumers.
The official said sensitising both operators and consumers became necessary to prevent future occurrence. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that eight persons lost their lives while four others sustained various degrees of injury and property worth millions of Naira destroyed in acetylene gas explosion on Jan. 4 at Sabo Tasha, Kaduna.
Following the incident, the State Government banned retailing of cooking gas within residential areas. The government had also shut down more than 87 gas retail outlets in Kaduna, Zaria and Kafanchan areas. “LPG is an excellent environmentally friendly fuel with hundreds of millions of satisfied consumers in every part of the world.
“However, like all forms of energy, LPG is potentially hazardous if mishandled. Thus, the need to ensure adherence to standard operating procedure in handling the commodity. “As the department desires to actualise the Federal Government aspiration of LPG penetration, prevent indiscriminate cutting of trees and checkmate desert encroachment, we call for more investment into the LPG market,” Tafida said.
The controller however warned the plant operators to against misuse of their license, adding that DPR will not hesitate to sanction any company operating against the approved standard of operating procedure.
Source: Vanguard