Living in Peru : your everyday companion

Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz


Of the six million gas tanks used by Peruvians mainly to fuel their stoves, three million are in unfit conditions because they are 30 years old and older, reported the country's National Gas Society (SNG).

According to the SNG, valves on 50 percent the old cylinders in circulation have not been replaced or even checked, thus placing the user's life in serious danger.

OSINERGMIN, the government regulatory agency in Peru responsible for monitoring industrial safety, has reported that 77 percent of pound gas tanks do not pass hydrostatic testing, a basic requirement when verifying if a gas tank is working properly, said Gilberto Canales, the general manager of SNG.

"These cylinders were introduced into the market by two companies that have been running since 1953 and who have never changed a valve or much less a tank," affirmed Canales.

He added that it was necessary to set up a fund to replace old gas cylinders so that the cost of renewing the tanks did not affect consumers.

Because of the bad conditions tanks are in, deadly accidents are taking place. Canales blamed irresponsible gas companies that painted over defective tanks and sold them despite the dangerous possibilities.