A

recently repaired gas pipe in Cawang, East Jakarta, cracked on Wednesday evening after allegedly being hit by a backhoe during construction for the light rapid transit (LRT) project, in a case that is believed to be caused by a lack of proper documentation on the city’s underground utilities.

State gas company Perusahaan Gas Negara (PGN), which operates the pipe, said the backhoe hit the pipe at around 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday, causing a gas leak in the area.

Although no casualties were reported in the incident, the gas leak disrupted the distribution of gas to residents of the Bidara Cina low-cost apartments in East Jakarta and Kalibata City apartments in South Jakarta.

The incident also resulted in a road closure and the diversion of traffic in the area. However, traffic returned to normal on Thursday morning.

Previously, the pipe, located 1.5 meters below ground level, had been repaired after it was ruptured by LRT workers in a drilling accident on Monday at 7:50 p.m.

The accident caused a gas leakage in front of the National Narcotics Agency’s (BNN) headquarters and the closure of a road for about three hours.

The construction of the Greater Jakarta LRT by state-owned construction firm Adhi Karya has been halted due to these accidents.

The project in Cawang is part of the LRT route connecting the area to Dukuh Atas, South Jakarta.

The management teams of PGN and Adhi Karya met on Thursday to discuss the incident.

Adhi Karya corporate secretary Ki Syahgolang Permata said the company would improve field coordination with PGN to detect underground pipes at LRT construction sites.

PGN corporate secretary Rachmat Hutama said the company would deploy officers to the construction site to assist Adhi Karya during the project so that similar incident would not recur in the future.

“We’re now reviewing the ongoing project to determine whether we should relocate [the pipes] or conduct engineering operations. We want to make sure that the LRT project, as a national strategic plan, can be developed on time so it can be used by residents,” Rachmat said on Thursday.

Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said he would summon the management of Adhi Karya to talk about the accidents.

“I’ll summon Adhi Karya as it shall be responsible for the accident,” he said. The Jakarta Police conducted a preliminary investigation by questioning six witnesses, including PGN employees, who knew about the incident.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono said the police would further investigate the alleged negligence that led to the accident.

University of Indonesia construction expert Yuskar Lase said the recent gas leak incidents showed that the city needed to develop a Jakarta underground map.

Construction workers often lack knowledge on underground utilities with access to neither maps nor complete documentation on wires and pipes in Jakarta.

“The contractors usually detect what lays under the road by drilling the road first to see the cable or pipe installations there,” Yuskar said.

As georadar equipment was expensive, only a few companies had detected the underground utilities, he added.

Therefore, the city administration should gather data on underground cables, pipes and fiber optics installed by companies, Yuskar said.

Ideally, the administration should build a duct system to house the underground utilities, he added.