Cautionary tale (Indian Express)

Mains Paper 3: Disaster Management
Prelims level: Styrene gas
Mains level: Loopholes in handling of Hazardous chemicals in India

Context:

• Two thousand people affected in a 5 km radius in a densely populated city, hundreds in hospital and 11 dead — the gas leak in Visakhapatnam revives dark memories of Bhopal in 1984, when the Union Carbide plant there caused one of the biggest industrial disasters ever.
• By all accounts, recurring instances of human oversight and callousness appear to have precipitated the disaster at the LG Polymers India unit.

Exceeding the capacity:

• The original owners of the plant, McDowell and Co, had sold it when the fast-developing city of Visakhapatnam drew uncomfortably close to it.
• It would have been wise to relocate since the hazardous feedstock of styrene was in use, but LG took it over in 1997 and continued production, admitting last year that it had exceeded the capacity permitted by its environmental clearance.
• It had then sought permission for expansion from the state authorities, though the central ministry of environment and forests is the competent authority. The ministry later dropped the matter in the belief that the company had lost interest.

Failure to secure environmental clearance:

• This series of unfortunate events may have laid the ground for the accident on May 7 — it is being said that the leak occurred because the styrene had been stored for a long time, due to the lockdown.
• A failure to check hazardous .................................

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Steps taken:

• The National Green Tribunal has ordered LG Polymers India to pay interim damages of Rs 50 crore and issued notices to the company, the Central Pollution Control Board, the state and the Centre.
• The police have registered a case of culpable homicide and causing grievous hurt against the management, under the Indian Penal Code.
• The YS Jaganmohan Reddy government has set up a five-member team to probe the incident, and the Union ministry of chemicals and fertilisers has advised chemical plants to reopen with caution.

Conclusion:

• Now, the probe report should be called in as soon as possible, action must be taken against the guilty and authorities issuing environmental clearances must identify any other defaulters and prevent them from restarting.

Online Coaching for UPSC PRE Exam

General Studies Pre. Cum Mains Study Materials

Prelims Questions:

Q1. With reference to the ‘Covid toe’, consider the following statements:
1. It is a kind of rash being reported as a manifestation in some Covid-19 patients’ toes.
2. The condition occurs due to inflammation in the small blood vessels in the skin, a response to repeated exposure to cold air.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

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Mains Questions:
Q1. What is styrene? What happens when ...........................................................?

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