Chlorine gas leak in port area lays citizens low, sparks panic
Over 120 Hospitalised, 17 In
Critical Condition
Mumbai: The leakage of
chlorine gas at the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) warehouse at Hay
Bunder near Sewri sent waves of panic among thousands of
residents and port workers who woke up in the wee hours of
Wednesday to breathlessness, nausea and coughing fits. More than
120 people—including students of a nearby maritime college,
labourers, port workers, and fire-fighters involved in rescue
operations—were admitted to city hospitals. Seventeen of those
affected were in a critical condition at the time of going to
press. The impact of the leak was so deadly that flora and fauna
in the vicinity turned white, said officials.
Chlorine is a hazardous element. Sustained exposure to it at
high concentrations can lead to corrosion of lung linings and
skin.
What’s shocking is that the cylinder from which the chlorine
leaked out, along with another 140 such canisters, had been
lying
FEAR IN THE AIR: A fireman
sprays the gas cylinders with
a water-jet at the Mumbai
Port Trust premises on Wednesday
abandoned at the MbPT with no
precautions or safeguards whatsoever. Given the total absence of
safety precautions, it is only providence that a tragedy of a
bigger magnitude hasn’t happened yet.
It was only during the relief and rescue operations that the
authorities realised that as many as six cylinders, including
the one that was compromised, contained chlorine gas. Each
cylinder weighed a ton. MbPT has launched an enquiry into why
the cargo was left unattended and exposed to the elements in
such a careless manner.
TOI has learnt that the cylinders had been abandoned by an
importer over a decade ago in 1997. Since then, the MbPT has
been unsuccessfully trying to sell them off.
SAFETY ISSUES: More than
120 people were hospitalized
According to MbPT officials, the leak occurred at around 3 am
from one of the 141 cylinders stored on the storage plot, which
is adjacent to the LBS College of Advanced Maritime Studies and
Research. A vast expanse of sea and vacant land lies on the
other side.
ANATOMY OF A NEAR-DISASTER
WHAT? Chlorine started leaking from one of the 141 cylinders
lying abandoned at MbPT since 1997
WHERE? Hay Bunder near Reay Road/Sewri
WHEN? 3.10 am, Wednesday
WHY? The cylinders were exposed to the elements. Most of
them were corroded
THE EFFECT: Residences, hostel buildings and offices in a
1-km radius affected
Around 120 took ill. 10 in ICU, 7 in critical care units. Most
victims complained of breathlessness, coughing, teary eyes and
nausea MbPT has no
system to contain toxic substances
Mumbai: An MbPT fire station located on the warehouse got a call
from a security guard around 3.13 am. “I was sitting with
another security guard when we started having difficulty
breathing. We found gas emanating from a huge pile of cylinders.
We alerted the fire brigade,’’ said Praveen Mohite, the guard
employed by a private agency that is in charge of security at
the warehouse.
For over six hours, rescue and relief teams struggled to
bring the situation under control. It took fire officials, BMC’s
disaster management team and experts from Herdillia Chemicals,
Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers, Century Rayon and Mutual
Aid Response Group more than hours to identify, seal and clamp
the cylinders.
“There was a cloud of chlorine that was spreading because of
the leakage. Armed
with breathing apparatus, our fire-fighters created water
curtains, thus diluting the gas. The air pressure they created
helped push the clouds of chlorine towards the sea,’’ said chief
fire officer Uday Tatkare.
The neutralisation process of the remaining chlorine-filled
cylinders was carried out by the National Disaster Response
Force, which arrived on the scene only in the afternoon. “Every
establishment that uses chlorine in a large way ought to have a
tank for neutralisation purposes to specifically handle such
circumstances, but there was no such apparatus at MbPT,’’ said
Tatkare.
Staffers and labourers TOI spoke to said safety guidelines
were not maintained at the facility. As many as 60 contract
labourers who handle hazardous materials do not have protective
coats, gloves and boots. There is no leak detection system,
automatic fire alarm and other respiratory equipment, like
breathing masks. “We have raised these points with the port
officials. But not a single guideline is being followed,’’ said
R Murthy of the transporters and workers union of the port.
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