By Media Selangor Team
SHAH ALAM, July 1 — Selangor Utility Corridor (Kusel) has pledged to uphold strict safety and planning standards for utility works across the state, after the conclusion of a joint investigation into the Putra Heights gas pipeline explosion on April 1.
The state agency said it will carry out its mandate with integrity, in line with the Utility Route Planning Guidelines, while enhancing monitoring efforts for the benefit of the public and Selangor’s development.
“The investigation by the authorities confirmed that there were no elements of sabotage, foul play, or suspicious activity.
“Based on inspections, utility and development works in the area were found to have been carried out in accordance with established procedures and guidelines.
“As the coordinating agency for utility routes in Selangor, Kusel will continue to work closely with technical agencies, utility companies, local authorities, and security forces to ensure all utility-related works consistently meet the required standards,” it said in a statement today.
In a special press conference yesterday to announce the findings of investigations into the Putra Heights blast, Selangor Police Chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said the criminal probe found no evidence of foul play, sabotage, or negligence in the events leading up to the explosion.
Occupational Safety and Health Department’s Petroleum Safety Division director Husdin Che Mat instead said forensic analysis found the incident was due to a structural failure caused by environmental and geological factors.
Husdin revealed that a stress fracture had formed across the pipe due to long-term underground pressure and soft soil.
Investigators also observed signs of metal fatigue, with a fracture traced to the pipeline’s welding joint along the pipe, which could have created friction and a subsequent spark that caused the explosion.
Petronas Gas Bhd, meanwhile, has been ordered to take immediate action in risk-prone areas with conditions similar to those that led to the Putra Heights incident.
On April 1, a leak along a Petronas-owned gas pipeline caused an explosion, which sent flames up to 30m into the sky. Firefighters took nearly eight hours to extinguish the blaze.
The blast left a 9.8m-deep crater and damaged over 400 nearby homes.
