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Government negligence and “security anxiety” were plummeting after a catastrophic death in which at least 12 people died in a gas leak accident at the LG Chemical plant in India. After the worst accident that killed nearly 3,800 people 36 years ago due to a toxic gas spill, the regulations were endlessly revised, but the administration’s blind spot that experts pointed out is still being neglected. As a result, it is noted that it will be difficult for central and state governments and companies to escape the disaster.
According to the Indian Times of India (TOI) and Associated Press media on the 9th, 12 people died this day in a gas leak accident that occurred two days ago at the LG Polymers plant in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. In addition, about 300 of the neighbors who complained of itchy eyes and shortness of breath at the time of the accident are still receiving treatment at the hospital. No Korean victims have been reported.
The accident occurred when the 5,000-ton two-tank vaporized styrene monomer at the LG Polymers plant leaked at around 2:30 am on Day 7. The gas mist spread to the factory radius of 3 ~ 5 km. Local fire and police departments are on the lookout for a malfunction of the cooling system inside the tank. Styrene monomers are generally safe liquids below 20 degrees, but gas mist is widespread, so the cooling system is not working properly, and styrene monomers are considered to be likely to vaporize. A factory official said: “The gas leaked as it prepared to restart the plant, which was stopped due to a new coronavirus infection (Corona19).”
The exact cause of the accident must be identified so that the liability can be clearly hidden. However, there are many opinions in India that the accident has already been considered as a “human resource” caused by anxiety. This is because the issues that have been flagged as problems while maintaining laws and related systems have not been corrected.
The trauma of the Indian people remains the Bhopal disaster. In 1984, a gas leak occurred at a US pesticide plant. USA In Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, which killed 3,800 people. However, this is just an official statistic, and in fact it is estimated to be more than double. Since then, the central government has established and amended several safety management laws, such as the Bhopal Gas Leak Law and the National Environmental Appeals Law.
However, the “third party audit” system, which has been insisted by experts in the field of fire fighting and disaster prevention, has not yet been introduced. In light of the constant reality of the suspected coalition between public officials and companies, the argument for involving a group of experts in the process of inspecting the company’s security facilities continues to be ignored. Factors include overheated competition between local governments to attract investment from foreign companies and the global lobbying of large global companies for high-risk chemicals.
As a result, it is the fifth time that gas and chemical leak accidents have been dumped across India since the 2010s. In 2011, filtered chlorine gas from a wastewater treatment plant in Pune, Maharashtra, injured more than 20 people. Three years later, in 2014, six people died and 30 others were injured in a similar accident at a factory in Durg, Chhattisgarh. In 2018, 14 people who inhaled ammonia gas at a plant in Mumbai were admitted to the hospital, and last year 21 people had to care for the hospital due to chemical leaks at a plant in Pune, Maharashtra.
It is also controversial that LG Chem has been approved by the provincial government to expand the plant site near the residential area without approval from the environment ministry last year. At the time, there was a strong backlash from area residents concerned about environmental pollution and pollutant emissions, and the central government virtually opposed the expansion of the factory site in recognition of the criticism.
In this regard, former Indian Energy Minister EAS Sarma said in a letter to YS Governor Redi Andhra Pradesh, saying: It appears to have been done.
In the case of this tragedy, as public reaction and criticism increased due to massive human injuries, the central and state governments emphasized LG Chem’s negligence and tried to avoid liability. “LG Polymers must demonstrate that there were no factory failures,” said Prime Minister Reddy. The central government’s environment ministry also shouted, “If the investigation confirms that environmental regulations are violated, the factory license may be revoked.”
LG Polymers closed the factory for 43 days after the spread of Corona 19 in India, and began to normalize operations from the 4th. More than 300 people work in the factory where the disaster occurred.
By Sung-Won Son, reporter [email protected]
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