Sarawak Fire Department recommends shutdown of Lawas highway construction site over methane gas risk

LAWAS, June 13 — The Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department has recommended that the Sarawak North Coastal Highway (NCH) construction site in Lawas be shut down after highly-flammable methane gas was detected at high risk levels yesterday. 

The department’s operations centre said that the Lower Explosive Limit (LEL) readings for three days by portable gas detectors near the gas-emitting hole had risen to 100 per cent, while readings within a five metre radius in the area recorded LEL readings of zero per cent.

“The Hazmat team recommended the area to be shut down and the local authorities ensure that no activities be conducted at the location to avoid safety risks.

“Advice and confirmation by the Minerals and Geosciences Department, the Department of Environment and the Chemistry Department were also obtained,” the centre said in a statement yesterday. 

The Lawas Fire and Rescue Station received a call at 12.33 pm Wednesday about gas being emitted from the ground at the construction site after contractors conducted drilling work at a depth of about 45 metres, with gas flow being reported as still active at the surface.

NCH is a RM6.8 billion infrastructure project conducted by the Sarawak government under Regional Corridor Development Authority (RECODA) and the North Region Development Agency (NRDA). — Bernama