A powerful explosion in Prague, Czech Republic, has damaged an office building, leaving up to 40 people injured. The blast highlights the danger from ageing, leaky gas pipelines around the world.
The blast occurred at around 08:00聽GMT. It is not certain what caused it, but Czech police say it was most likely .
Ageing infrastructure such as pipelines is becoming a major problem in many developed countries, says of Boston University. By driving around Boston and San Francisco with sensors in his car, Phillips has identified thousands of gas leaks (). 鈥淔or older cities it鈥檚 a systemic problem and it needs attention,鈥� he says. So far there is not enough data to determine which countries鈥� infrastructure is leakiest.
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Explosions like the one in Prague are rare, but inevitable when a lot of gas is leaking. Even if it doesn鈥檛 ignite, escaped gas damages vegetation and property. The methane in it is also a powerful greenhouse gas, although its contribution to climate change is likely to be small relative to the burning of fossil fuels.
Phillips says the only solution is to replace old pipelines. He says there is little point patching leaks, because the pipes develop new leaks faster than engineers can fix them. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like whack-a-mole,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e talking about 100-year-old iron pipes.鈥�
Most new pipelines are made of plastic, which is much less leaky than metal. However it鈥檚 not clear how long plastic pipes will last, so Phillips says new pipelines should be fitted with sensors that issue warnings when they are leaking. In effect, he says, cities should become 鈥渟elf-aware鈥�.
