Millions of people in southwestern Colombia have had their gas cut, scheduled for a week, because of an underground fire that has affected gas pipelines.
Since mid-May 24, the company Gases de Occidente has announced “total restriction of gas service” in Cauca and Valle del Cauca, southwest Colombia. Another five regions in the central and southwest regions of the country were also affected.
Colombian authorities and Gas Shipping International (TGI) confirmed that it was the result of unusual heat caused by an underground fire. The Colombian Petroleum Institute conducted a survey to determine the depth of the underground fire and identify the combustible material.
As the area where the underground fire took place has a high concentration of methane, the authorities determined that the phenomenon was not related to the activity of the volcanoes Cerro Bravo and Nevado del Ruiz, about 22 kilometers away. The origin of fire may be related to human activity. TGI said the company expects to take a week to restore the pipeline after the incident.
Two women walk past a sign reading “Prohibited sale of electric stoves” at an appliance store in Cali, Colombia, on May 24. Photo: AFP
Two-thirds of Colombia’s 50 million people depend on gas to cook and survive.
“This incident causes a crisis we haven’t experienced in a long time,” said Jorge Ivan Ospina, mayor of Cali, Colombia’s third-largest city, where more than 1.3 million people were affected.
People started using firewood for cooking, some waited in long lines to buy electric stoves, causing many stores to show signs of a shortage of electric stoves. Gas-powered public transport was discontinued.
Hong Hanh (according to AFP)
