How to solve the Hidden Bomb? Planning source and long-term prevention and control of urban gas pipeline occupied pressure

How to solve the Hidden Bomb? Planning source and long-term prevention and control of urban gas pipeline occupied pressure

Gas pipeline is an important infrastructure of urban energy supply, which is related to the life and property safety of thousands of households. However, the current gas pipeline pressure occupying problem is still more prominent, which has brought serious threats to gas safety, and needs to be paid attention to and take effective measures to rectify. For example, the illegal construction of residential buildings on the natural gas pipeline is a typical case of planning and management failure, reflecting the multi-party contradictions and loopholes in the planning system. Such incidents not only threaten public safety, but also expose the inadequacy of planning coordination, regulatory enforcement and legal constraints in urban development. Based on the case of Qinyang, the following analysis is carried out from the causes, consequences and solutions:

1. Case background
In 2019, the city was exposed to illegal construction on the built natural gas pipeline in a residential community, resulting in the gas pipeline being occupied by buildings. The pipeline belongs to the medium pressure pipeline laid by the local gas company, but the residential developer directly constructed the residential building on the ground without coordination with the gas company, and eventually formed a major safety hazard. Similar cases are not uncommon across the country (for example, the 2013 Qingdao oil pipeline explosion was also caused by the problem of pressure), highlighting systematic flaws in planning and management.

Second, planning problems lead to the core reasons for the occupation
1. The failure to share planning information is inconsistent with approval
- Departmental fragmentation: there is a lack of data interoperability among urban planning departments (Natural resources Bureau), gas enterprises, and construction units, and the location of gas pipelines is not included in the city's "multi-planning in one" platform. In the case, the urban construction department did not check the underground pipeline information when approving the residential land, resulting in "planning fights".
- Planning lag: the special planning for gas has not been updated simultaneously with the territorial spatial planning, the layout of underground pipelines in the newly built urban areas is chaotic, and there is even an inversion phenomenon of "building first, laying pipes later" in some areas.

2. Profit-driven violations
- In pursuit of maximizing land utilization, developers deliberately ignore safety distance requirements, and even force construction in the case of known pipeline existence (such as rushing construction at night to avoid supervision).
- Under the pressure of attracting investment, local governments may acquiesce in "construction while approving", sacrificing safety for short-term economic gains.

3. Failure of legal constraints and supervision
- The Urban Gas Management Regulations stipulate that a safe distance (usually 5-15 meters) should be left between the two sides of the gas pipeline, but the punishment is insufficient in the actual law enforcement (such as the maximum fine is only 100,000 yuan), which is difficult to deter the violators.
- Supervision at the grassroots level is weak, there is a lack of professional personnel and regular inspection mechanisms, and the problem of occupying pressure is often discovered after the fact.

Third, the serious consequences of the occupation problem
1. Security risks increase sharply
- Building pressure prevents normal maintenance of pipelines, and small leaks can accumulate and cause explosions (such as the 2022 Shenyang gas explosion that killed five people).
- After the pipeline is squeezed and deformed, it is easy to break in extreme weather or geological changes, threatening the safety of the entire area.

2. High economic and social costs
- High cost of rectification: In this case, part of the building needs to be demolished or the pipeline needs to be relocated, and the cost of a single route change can reach millions of yuan, and residents' relocation compensation is involved.
- Social trust crisis: The public is questioning the government's ability to plan and corporate responsibility, and subsequent similar projects may encounter strong resistance from residents.

Fourth, solution path and prevention mechanism
1. Strengthen planning collaboration and data integration
- Gas pipeline information will be incorporated into the city's "CIM (City Information Model)" platform to realize real-time sharing of data from planning, construction and approval departments (for example, Shenzhen has required "one map" management of all underground pipelines).
- Establish a "pipeline first" system, making it clear that underground pipe network planning must be completed in new areas before surface projects are approved.

2. Improve the legal and regulatory system
- Amend the Law on the Protection of Oil and Gas Pipelines, raise the penalty standards for acts of pressure occupation (such as fines in proportion to the cost of the building), and investigate the responsibility of the government for dereliction of duty in approval.
- Promote the "grid + drone inspection" mode, and use AI image recognition technology to monitor the risk of pressure occupation (such as Beijing Gas has been piloted).

3. Establish a mechanism for balancing interests
- For existing buildings that really need to be occupied, explore a "government-enterprise-owner" cost sharing scheme for pipeline routing (such as Zhengzhou subsidizing 30% of relocation costs through public funds).
- Include gas safety in local government assessment indicators, and curb short-sighted behavior of "emphasizing development over safety".

4. Public participation and risk education
- Publicize the pipeline direction and safety scope, and open public reporting channels (such as Wuhan Gas Group to set up a "prize collection of pressure clues").
- Carry out community safety drills, popularize gas leak emergency treatment knowledge, and reduce the probability of accident casualties.

V. Inspiration and prospect
The event shows that the nature of the gas pipeline pressure problem is the epitome of systemic failure of urban planning. In the future, it is necessary to avoid similar risks through the three-pronged approach of "technology enabling planning, legal hardening constraints, and dynamic balance of interests". For example, in the construction of Xiongan New Area, the "underground integrated pipe gallery + digital twin" model has been practiced to eliminate pipeline conflicts from the source, which may become a new paradigm for future urban gas planning.