July 6, 2012:

Investigators say they are making headway in establishing the cause of the second major fire to strike a Bangchak oil refinery distillation unit in 18 months. But their work will not be completed until sufficient safeguards are in place to prevent a third unfortunate accident. Given the intensity of Wednesday's blast and ensuing blaze, it was a near miracle that no one was hurt, but there was one major casualty, and that was trust. The thousands of residents, office workers and schoolchildren who live and study at schools in the vicinity of the Bangchak Petroleum plant are now aware of the dangers that exist. Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra says City Hall would like to relocate all refineries, arms depots and, presumably, oil storage tank farms out of the busy capital. Many people living in Bangkok would agree but it is not the first time they have heard a city governor or cabinet minister express such a view. It has led to nothing in the past and is most unlikely to lead to anything in the future. The expense of moving a refinery and all the infrastructure that goes with it would be colossal and disrupt both oil supplies and the national economy.

The seeds of the problem were sown decades ago when the capital was allowed to develop in a haphazard fashion without proper zoning or effective urban planning. Little thought was given to planning for the future. The operator of the refinery prior to Bangchak Petroleum Plc needed a site close enough to the city for ease of transport and yet far enough away so as not to be located in a highly populated area. That made Bangchak a satisfactory location when the refinery was opened in 1964 and it might have remained one had the capital not undergone a rapid expansion eastward during a subsequent building boom.

It is a safe assumption that people who moved to the Bangchak area did not consider the refinery to pose any danger in the same way that those who flocked to the new estates where Suvarnabhumi airport was being built a decade ago did not foresee just how noisy their environment would become once the airport opened for business. That led to years of protests about noise pollution and an eventual settlement by Airports of Thailand Plc. Now we can expect to hear concerns expressed by worried Bangchak residents.

The Pollution Control Department and Public Health Ministry acted correctly by monitoring the impact of the smoke billowing from the burning crude distillation unit and preparing evacuation plans in case sulphur dioxide levels rose too high. It is ironic that Bangchak Petroleum, which has done much to clean up Bangkok's air through the introduction of green "eco-friendly" fuels to reduce hydrocarbons, sulphur dioxide, PM10 and other irritants found in traffic fumes, found itself being blamed by air quality inspectors for emitting toxic substances such as toluene, benzene and xylene during the accident. The pollution control inspectors advised local residents to wear masks, keep doors and windows closed and switch off air-conditioning units as a precaution until levels subsided.

The unsung heroes of the refinery blaze were the firemen who acted quickly and professionally to bring it under control. And the most important thing now is to stop it from happening again. That means doing what major refineries in the United States, United Kingdom and Japan did after suffering disastrous explosions, fires and loss of life. They replaced old and corroded equipment, stepped up regular maintenance, overhauled their safety culture from top to bottom and introduced new operating procedures to minimise risk.

By Bangkok Post