Killer in the air: When Vizag woke up to a nightmare

It would be an understatement to say that 2020 has not been kind at all to the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. While the state was bust utilizing all its resources to control the steady rise in the increase in Coronavirus cases, an unlikely enemy crept in on the citizens of the coastal port city of Visakhapatnam in the wee hours of Thursday. A major gas leak at the LG Polymers plant brought the city to a standstill, with humans and animals alike falling unconscious after inhaling copious amounts of a chemical compound named Styrene. 

As scores of residents from five villages that fell within the affected area complained of symptoms such as headache, vomiting and breathing problems, the National Disaster Response Force stepped in to mitigate the damage, the extent of which is still under analysis. 

The death of eleven, including an eight-year-old, and hospitalisation of hundreds due to the gas leak has now been identified as a violation of human rights. Nearly 25 victims are still critically ill. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) took suo motu cognisance and issued notices to the AP government and the Centre. The commission observed that while there was no prima facie evidence pointing to human negligence, it was still a gross violation of the right to life of the victims. 

 “The overall situation is under control and I think overall we can say that it is about rehabilitation and treatment of affected people,” SN Pradhan, director-general of the National Disaster Response Force had said, assuring that the team would stick around for as long as required.

While the state government has been asked to file reports about the treatment being offered to the victims, rescue and relief operations as well as a general overview of the tragedy, the Centre has been asked by the commission to examine if the LG Polymers unit was adhering to the various norms that had been laid down for its functioning. The Centre and state have been accorded four weeks to file the relevant reports. 

AP  police too reacted within hours of the tragedy, booking a case against LG Chem, the South Korean bigwig that owns LG Polymers. Following a complaint from Venkatapuram village revenue officer, MV Subba Rao, LG Chem was booked under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, such as sections 278 (making atmosphere noxious to health), 284 (negligent conduct with respect to poisonous substance), 285 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter), 337 (whoever causes hurt to any person by doing any act so rashly or negligently as to endanger human life) and 388 (extortion by threat of accusation of an offence punishable with death or imprisonment for life) and 304 (2) ( culpable homicide not amounting to murder).

Read: 11 die in Vizag gas leak tragedy

Damodar Gautam Sawang, Director General of Police, AP said that they would be carrying out an independent probe regarding the standard operating procedures at the plant, as well as operational and technical aspects of the issue.  

A chemical conundrum

Styrene- the chemical that was identified to have leaked-  is a synthetic chemical used to manufacture synthetic rubber and plastic packaging. The chemical can prove to be fatal if ingested or inhaled in large quantities. But as per a Mumbai Mirror report, several experts are not convinced that the tragedy in Visakhapatnam was the doing of Styrene alone. 

Read: The health effects of styrene gas exposure

An expert, on condition of anonymity, said that while the effects of the gas leak were seen over a three- four-kilometre radius in Visakhapatnam, Styrene does not have the capability to spread over 500 metres. He added that it could have been an unidentified compound that had led to devastating consequences. 

Another expert attributed the cause of the tragedy to a likely change in the process conditions, given that the plan had been reopened after a considerably long lockdown of 45 days. Given the ambiguity behind the cause of the incident, the demand for a probe seems to be a significantly reasonable request. The sentiment was echoed by UN Secretary-General  Antonio Guterres. The UN spokesperson for  Guterres, in a daily press briefing, said,  “We obviously send our condolences to the victims and hope for a quick recovery to those who have been impacted. And I think these kinds of incidents need to be fully investigated by the local authorities.”

Where does the buck stop?

In the face of incomparable loss, the AO government has reached out to the kin of the deceased and announced an ex-gratia compensation of Rs 1 crore each to the families. In addition to this, all those who will be placed under ventilator support will be given a compensation of ₹10 lakh, and those hospitalised will receive ₹1 lakh,

Victims who only receive primary treatment will get compensation of ₹25,000. There are also whispers from several quarters that the government may be looking at permanently shutting the plant down. 

Addressing the issue, LG Polymers plant has issued the following statement: 

“We would like to express our deepest condolences to the deceased and their families. At this moment our top priority is to work closely with the local government and the authorities to ensure medical help is provided to all those who have been affected by this incident. As a responsible global citizen, it is our responsibility to ensure the health and safety of all residents and our employees.

We have mobilised our technical teams to work with the investigating authorities to arrive at the exact cause of the incident. As a global company, we hold international environment and safety standards with the highest regard and will do our best to cooperate with the authorities to ensure there is no further recurrence."

With recent reports of survivors of the Bhopal gas tragedy reacting differently to the Coronavirus when compared to the majority, the government and other stakeholders would do well to identify that the far-reaching consequences of a tragedy of this nature and its magnitude are sometimes, much like its gaseous perpetrator, not always entirely visible to the naked eye.

And if the powers that be do not react with wisdom and resolve, some scars can always come back to haunt us all.

Contacts:

The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation Commissioner (GVMC) has asked people to call 1800-4250-0009.

Department of Industries GM office helpdesk:

S.Prasada Rao, DD: 7997952301, 8919239341

R. Brahma, IPO: 9701197069