Panthopath. one of the city's main link roads, has turned into a virtual death trap as the WASA lias jacked up huge concrete slabs of the storm sewerage under it to let out gas from the drain and left those dangerously rising above the road level.

WASA officials said that tiiey had to Jack up the slabs on the roads to avert a greater danger of explosion

The original design of the storm sewerage did not have adequate gas ventilation sys-' tern. some sources concerned pointed out. Construction of the storm sewerage in the city was taken up in 1992 under the Tk 159 crore ADB-aided Dhaka Integrated Flood Control Protect scheduled to be completed in June 1997.

The slabs, measuring about eight feet in length and six feet in width, and weighing more than two tonnes each, were jacked up by cranes by at least two feet from the road level after an explosion ripped open apart of the road at the intersection of Panthopath and Green Road about two months ago, WASA sources said. The explosion occurred Inside a forty-Sir old sewerage pipe due to

matlon of gas Inside, they imed. The spot still emits stench as the authoriUdk are yet to repair it.

Road users are faced with these deadly obstacles on the busy road on Its Green Road to Mlrpur Road section. Residents and shopkeepers in the area said that everyday accidents occurred in the area due to these slabs. The risk of accidents is very high at night because street lights on it are out of order for the last two months, they said.

"The storm sewerage is being constructed with the concept that city's flood water and kitchen waste water would pass through it.” said an official of WASA. "In fact, all sorts of garbage are passing through it and dangerous gases are forming rapidly, he said, attributing the problem to lack of awareness among people. The WASA authorities yesterday put back some of the slabs in their original place.

Another top official of the WASA said that after putting back the slabs the WASA would 'drill holes on each slab of the storm sewerage' for the ventilation of gas. But he could not explain why this simple exercise of drilling holes was done in the last few months.

Some scientists of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission said that several gases including Methane and Posphine may form in the sewerage pipes. Methane gas may explode due to pressure or a slight spark whereas Posphine will Ignite the moment it comes in contact with air.