KUALA LUMPUR – Residents impacted by the gas pipeline explosion in Putra Heights have criticised the final investigation report, calling it “rubbish” and saying that it has not helped ease the concerns of those still traumatised by the event.

They also expressed worries that the report brings up safety issues in the vicinity.

Puspagaran Alakasundaram, 45, a resident whose home suffered 70% damage, said that people are still questioning the construction of shop lots close to where the pipeline is located.

“In the announcement of the findings, they said that the cause of the incident didn’t happen in one day, but had been building up for a long time.

“Why hasn’t this happened in other places where there are gas pipelines? So I don’t agree with their findings. I’ve lived there for over 14 years and nothing like this has ever happened.

“Residents are still questioning the construction of shop lots near the area where the pipeline is located. If there had been no disturbance to the pipeline or the surrounding area, this would never have happened,” he told Scoop.

On Monday, the Occupational Safety and Health Department (DoSH) reported that the explosion of the underground pipeline in Putra Heights was due to a failure of the pipeline, which was unable to withstand the weight and pressure because of inadequate soil conditions beneath it.

Petroleum Safety Division director Husdin Che Amat, explained that this instability led to a leak and ultimately resulted in the explosion.

Additionally, police investigations found no evidence of malice, sabotage, or negligence related to the damage to the gas pipeline and the explosion.

Puspagaran said that residents are quite worried about their safety since the pipeline is located close to their homes.

“When this unexpected incident happened, a large number of residents lost confidence with the authorities who approved the development project.

“It’s not just the residents in this estate who are questioning this, but also those in the surrounding estates, as well as those who live near gas pipelines throughout the country, who have also expressed their concerns,” he said.

Meanwhile, another resident, Aidil Abd Ghaffar, 56, said that most residents were disappointed that the authorities were more focused on repairing the gas pipeline than on speeding up the process of repairing residents’ homes.

“Residents are very affected, they have voiced their dissatisfaction, feeling as if they are being ‘treated like second-class citizens’. The authorities are prioritising the continued supply of gas to industrial players over solving the problems of the victims’ homes.

“Residents are still living in fear, the trauma has not gone away and they don’t know what the future holds because there is no communication, especially from the authorities and the state government, in informing them of the steps they are taking.

“What about the road users nearby? There is also a water pipeline there, so are they safe as users?” he asked.

Therefore, he called on the government to come forward with a thorough and clear investigation so that residents are not constantly plagued by anxiety.

“We really hope that the government can resolve this issue by providing a complete explanation so that residents can live peacefully and safely again.

“We don’t want this tragedy to happen again, including in other places. Even now, residents have suffered a lot of losses,” he said.

In the incident on April 1, the gas pipeline explosion caused a major fire and widespread property damage.

The explosion, which occurred at about 8.10am on the second day of Hari Raya Aidilfitri, affected 529 residents from 118 families.

A total of 235 premises, including homes and shops, were affected, with 87 units completely destroyed.

In addition, 225 vehicles were damaged. The incident injured 126 people, some of whom were treated in intensive care. – July 2, 2025