Kaohsiung Continues Investigating Ethylene Gas Leak|高巿前鎮乙烯外洩 環保局挖井採檢尋找洩漏點

Several days ago, a gas leak occurred near Kaohsiung's Cianjhen District. Four companies inspected and repaired their pipelines on Sept. 14, and their inspection results showed no issues. Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Bureau began taking soil and groundwater samples in the area to determine the source of the leak.


Workers take soil samples for testing. On Sept. 11, an ethylene gas leak occurred in Kaohsiung's Cianjhen District near the Kaohsiung Indigenous Hub. On the afternoon of Sept. 14, the city's Environmental Protection Bureau expanded the area it was monitoring and dug a simple well in other to take samples of groundwater for testing. It hoped these tests would help to pinpoint the source of the leak.

In principle, we will continue to carry out environmental tests around-the-clock. Once we complete the soil testing today, we will go back and conduct chemical analyses and then look at the results. We'll see if we can get the results out within a week's time.

The city has so far failed to determine the reason and origin of the leak, even though four days have already passed. On Sept. 14, the city government convened the first review meeting and asked China General Terminal and Distribution Corporation, Formosa Plastics Group, Asia Polymer Corporation, and Taiwan VCM Corporation to quickly pinpoint the source of the leak. So far, three of the companies with underground pipes have carried out repairs and pressurization work, and their inspections showed everything was normal.

It's been six, seven years since the Kaohsiung gas explosions on Kaixuan Road and Sanduo Road. Everyone is so afraid. It's like being in purgatory on earth and it's also inconvenient. I hope the city government can act quickly to move the underground pipelines away from residential areas.

One local borough chief said he has been coming to the site every day since the leak to see what progress is being made. Residents are anxious for the city government to provide answers, as everyone has been particularly sensitive to gas leaks since the 2014 Kaohsiung gas explosions that killed 32 people. They also hope the city government can take action and relocate underground pipelines away from residential areas.



工作人員操作鑽探機，將疑似受汙染的土壤送到實驗室化驗，高雄市前鎮區11號發生乙烯外洩後，環保局14號下午到原民館周遭區域，擴大監測範圍，並開挖一座簡易水井，採集地下水送驗，希望透過多管齊下，儘快找到乙烯洩漏點。

高雄巿環保局稽查科長 陳偉德表示：「環境檢測的部分，原則上，我們是都持續在進行24小時的部分。那土讓檢測，今天佈點採樣完的時候，我們會回去做化驗分析，來看結果。在看一個禮拜以內，趕快能不能有一個檢測結果出來。

洩漏原因和地點，從事件爆發至今，還是沒有答案，14號市府召開第一次檢討會，要求華運、台塑、亞聚、台氯等4家業者，儘速找出乙烯洩漏點，但目前埋有管線的3家業者進行加壓檢漏作業，鑑測果都顯示正常。

高雄市前鎮區興邦里長 薛文龍表示：「6、7年那個凱旋路，跟三多路那個氣爆，他們非常害怕。不是害怕，好像人間煉獄，麻煩就是這樣。盡量看市府，能把地下那個油槽管，移開住宅區。」

當地里長表示 ，乙烯外洩事件後，自己每天都會來到現場，查看檢測進度，對於政府何時給出答案，居民們都很關心。自從高雄氣爆發生後，對於氣體外洩事件格外敏感，希望政府能儘早，將埋藏在住家底下的管線撤除，讓居民不要活在 恐懼之中。