On Tuesday, a fire broke out during the construction of a boring in Lalitpur Mahalakshmi Municipality-5 Shantitol. The gas was released from a borehole under construction for a local water supply project.

According to Kapil KC, the ward president of Mahalakshmi Municipality-5, the fire broke out during the sealing of Tikathali drinking water and sanitation consumer committee after completing the boring work. According to him, the flames have reached far above the ground. He said, 'The flame came out during the wiring to seal the pipe after burying it.' According to him, the boring is about 275 meters deep.

SP Narahari Regmi, Information Officer of District Police Complex Lalitpur, said that the team of Mines and Geology Department was informed after the monitoring. He says, 'Even before this, we have seen a little bit of gas coming out while digging wells and borings. But it turned out a little too much in Tikathali.' The Department of Mines and Geology has sent a team under the leadership of Ravi Acharya for monitoring.

This is not the first incident of gas release while digging wells and borings in Kathmandu Valley. Earlier in July 2079, water and gas were released along with water while drilling a borehole in Jorpati Losetar in Kathmandu. The gas leak reached up to three floors and the smell spread throughout the village. Similarly, 8 years ago in Bhaktapur Pilagaon, there was a fire due to gas release during deep boring. 

Why does gas come out in Kathmandu?

In December 2072, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli gave a speech at the UML valley-level workers' gathering saying, "If I get some time, I will install gas pipes in the houses". However, he did not reveal what kind of gas. LPG gas is easily piped to homes. But Monica Jha, the spokesperson of the Department of Mines and Geology, said that it is difficult to distribute the natural gas found in Kathmandu Valley through pipes.

The gas found in Lalitpur now is methane, which is compressed natural gas (CNG). Methane is a greenhouse gas . It is called a hydrocarbon because it is made up of hydrogen and carbon. In nature, it is especially formed when long-lived organic matter accumulates and is eaten. It is also used as energy. Spokesperson Jha says that since methane gas cannot be filled in an LP gas cylinder, a separate big gas cylinder is required. LP gas is mixed with petroleum products, while methane gas produced from garbage is mixed with water.

In 1978, a team from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Department of Mines and Geology studied natural gas in the Kathmandu Valley. The team dug wells for study at 14 different places in the valley including Tikathali, Imadol, Balkumari, Shankhamul, Bhaktapur, Koteshwar, Kathmandu, Tinkune, Teku, Kalimati, Bishnumati Kinar, Bhrikutimandap. Which was also called 'gas well'.

With the technical and financial support of the United Nations Development Program, 14 gas wells were drilled in about 26 square kilometers and divided into 3 blocks. In Tikathali area where the gas has now been released, the team had dug a 300 meter deep well and tested it in 2049/50. 

The study team had studied the geological conditions under the surface and suggested for mining with a preliminary report that methane gas could be produced. According to Jha, the spokesperson of the department, wells with a depth of 300 to 570 meters were dug. Even now, the department has kept one guard for the security of all those wells. Spokesperson Zha said that gas has been produced and distributed to Teku Hospital under the 'Demonstration Project'. The study showed that there are about 300 million cubic meters of gas in Kathmandu Valley.

He says that after 1978, there was no study on natural gas and its distribution in Kathmandu Valley. She said that since the population density of Kathmandu has increased, it will be difficult to distribute gas through pipes. "Now, even from the point of view of security, it is difficult to distribute gas in Kathmandu through pipes, because of dense settlements, the risk is higher."

Referring to the example of water pipes bursting recently, she said that the natural gas of Kathmandu Valley can be used for industrial purposes. According to the National Census-2078, the population density of Kathmandu is 17,400 per square kilometer. Which is more than 87 times more than the national population density (189). Spokesperson Zha said that Kathmandu's natural gas can be used by industries, hotels and automobiles. In India, CNG has been used commercially.