29 April 2013
A powerful explosion in Prague, Czech Republic, has damaged an office building, leaving up to 40 people injured. The blast highlights the danger from ageing, leaky gas pipelines around the world.
The blast occurred at around 08:00 GMT. It is not certain what caused it, but Czech police say it was most likely a gas leak.
Ageing infrastructure such as pipelines is becoming a major problem in many developed countries, says Nathan Phillips of Boston University. By driving around Boston and San Francisco with sensors in his car, Phillips has identified thousands of gas leaks (Environmental Pollution, DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2012.11.003). “For older cities it’s a systemic problem and it needs attention,” he says. So far there is not enough data to determine which countries’ infrastructure is leakiest.
Explosions like the one in Prague are rare, but inevitable when a lot of gas is leaking. Even if it doesn’t ignite, escaped gas damages vegetation and property. The methane in it is also a powerful greenhouse gas, although its contribution to climate change is likely to be small relative to the burning of fossil fuels.
Phillips says the only solution is to replace old pipelines. He says there is little point patching leaks, because the pipes develop new leaks faster than engineers can fix them. “It’s like whack-a-mole,” he says. “We’re talking about 100-year-old iron pipes.”
Most new pipelines are made of plastic, which is much less leaky than metal. However it’s not clear how long plastic pipes will last, so Phillips says new pipelines should be fitted with sensors that issue warnings when they are leaking. In effect, he says, cities should become “self-aware”.