Leak causes alert
Enemalta took immediate action to seal a container which was leaking mercaptan, a substance added to gas to give it an odour, at its premises in Kordin, yesterday afternoon.
Enemalta said a subsequent investigation determined that the leak developed after someone stole a valve from the mercaptan container.
A spokesman for the corporation explained that mercaptan is added to gas cylinders because of its distinctive smell to help users detect any leaks since liquid petroleum gas is highly combustible but is odourless.
The corporation was alerted to the leak through reports at around 2 p.m. about a smell which was perceptible in the Kordin area.
The spokesman insisted that at no point in time were the residents of the surrounding area in any danger and at no time was there a gas leak.
A police report was lodged at Paola police station.
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jmifsud
Jul 2nd 2009, 12:02
I hope the safety precautions necessary are not suffering at Enemalta, we cannot economise on safety, because we will be waiting for a disaster to happen. Enemalta handles a large amount of dangerous products, and Malta being the size it is, we have residential areas very near to where these products are stored. Someone in authority must check that safety standards employed by Enemalta are top class, we cannot take risks.