While the country continues to be gripped with the pandemic, with cases crossing the 50,000-mark from 40,000 in merely four days, a gas leak from a chemical plant at Vizag in the wee hours of Thursday came as a double whammy for locals of the area. Situated in the outskirts of Vizag, the LG Polymer plant in Gopalapatnam area suffered a leakage, releasing styrene gas in the 3-5 km radius of the plant. The thick gas with a pungent smell as reported by locals caused irritation in eyes, rashes on skin, breathlessness and nausea. Initial reports recorded eight casualties as hundreds were hospitalised and thousands were evacuated from the nearby four villages in the area. While police and NDRF brought the situation under control, an invariable clamour for the closure of the plant spread amongst locals. A thorough investigation is required to unearth the root cause of such consequence. It is unlikely that the gas would just leak out on its own without any undue interference. Chemical plants require an industrial license and are ought to comply with safety standards. Emergency procedures to shut such plants in case of any disaster is also detailed out especially when these chemical plants are in close proximity to human settlements. These safety standards and emergency protocols are validated by experts to ensure that even in case of an accident, damage can be contained. But with the gas leak occurring late night and spreading to a 5-km radius affecting everyone in that distance, the so-called safeguards or protocols have clearly failed. This is where the plant needs to explain itself, and if held accountable, be punished and even compensate. Gases such as the one which leaked out are ought to be stored in containers so designed that leakage cannot happen unless extraordinary circumstances ply such as an earthquake or deliberate explosion to the vessel. Prima facie reports suggest that the large tanks were left unattended due to lockdown and the leak occurred while workers were inspecting the tanks. Irrespective of whether this is true or not, the onus still falls on the plant to ensure safety standards. Lockdown or not, chemical plants are mandated to ensure safety protocols primarily due to the threat they pose for the environment and society. The 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy serves as an important lesson for India in this regard. The Vizag gas leak, even if not as catastrophic, sounds an alarm across chemical plants situated in the country that there can be no laxity in ensuring safety standards and protocols. Lockdown, in this respect, does not serve as a viable ground for defence. Heedless attitude cannot be accommodated in such cases.
Vizag gas leak also underlines the need to be perennially prepared for natural disasters. Unpredictable as they are, the presence of an already adverse situation, such as Covid-19, does not delay their occurrence or downplay their impact. For instance, the monsoon floods in Bihar, cyclones in Odisha, etc., are some eventualities that we have the leverage to discuss beforehand based on past experience and they require prior preparation in order to negate the damage that they can inflict. But there can be many more unexpected disasters such as the great tsunami of 2004 or more recently the Kerala floods of 2018. We may be going through unprecedented adversity but we ought to be prepared for worse. The National Disaster Management Act that India drafted in 2005 provides for NDRF to provide a specialist response to disasters. While they are trained to deal with a variety of disasters and have so responded in a long list of incidents, increasing their size and diversifying their composition would be prudent to the public interest. While the Covid-19 problem persists, there are many more adversities that we need to be prepared for as the year progresses. Proactive responsiveness and vigorous healthcare are the least that India should be equipped with.