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The Hindu
30-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
First responders take charge as emergency response remains slack
Nearly half an hour after the blast ripped through the manufacturing unit of Sigachi Industries shearing off the roof and sending building debris shooting in a radius of few hundred metres, the first responders were people and workers from the surrounding areas. They dug through brick, mortar and concrete blocks debris to pull out bodies and the injured. There was no ambulance on the site. At 9.48 a.m., a bystander Sai Reddy from Isnapur shot a video showing injured workers with bleeding wounds and torn clothes sitting in a company bus waiting to be transported to a hospital. The bus suffered blast damage including shattered glass and its rear was crushed. As the bus pulled away, one more person was brought out of the factory with four persons holding his limbs, another person was brought out in a makeshift gurney. It was a replay of what happened after the blaze near Gulzar Houz in Hyderabad where good Samaritans ferried the victims out of the building into waiting stretchers. The survival rate in both the cases was low. While 17 persons died in the blaze near Gulzar Houz, 15 persons died in the blast on Monday. Sigachi Industries, whose microcrystalline cellulose manufacturing unit blew up, said in its stock market filing: 'The company's occupational health and safety management system has received ISO 45001:2018 certification.' But on Monday morning, the workers were left to their own devices. The green board requirement for hazardous waste display was blank when the Fire Department and rescue workers reached the site of explosion leaving them clueless about what they are handling. The slow-paced rescue effort and absence of information is linked to risk perception and value of human life, says an expert. 'There is a systemic reason and a deep-rooted problem. We have low value for human life and low cost of life. By low cost of life, I mean the amount of compensation that will be paid out. In the US, the value of life is not high but the cost of life is high. If there is an accident the payout will be huge. The result is that the standards of safety are high,' says Sagar Dhara, an environment engineer who specialises in risk analysis, putting things in perspective. 'Safety management in Indian industry and safety regulation by government regulators is tardy. Both underestimate the probability of toxic releases, fires and explosions and risk mitigation does not get the attention it deserves,' says Mr. Dhara. 'We have seen many fire accidents right from Deccan Mall, Swapanlok Complex, Gulzar Houz and now yet another today near Hyderabad. It's a wake-up call for industry and regulators. Both industries and government bodies must revisit and reinforce zoning laws, permit conditions, and safety compliance frameworks — especially in fast-growing clusters like Pashamylaram,' says S.P. Anchuri, a structural engineer reacting to the accident on Monday where the collapsed building led to high death toll. 'I am not sure if the response was appropriate, given that not much info is available even after hours of the accident. However, this chemical industrial estate has been witnessing accidents regularly. In that sense, I don't think preparation was on a par to prevent and respond,' says environment activist Donthi Narasimha Reddy, flagging the pharma unit's preparedness for an accident of this scale.
The Hindu
28-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Protest rally against Mahadayi basin projects in Belagavi on June 3
A protest rally will be held by members of various organisations in Belagavi on June 3 to oppose plans of the government of Karnataka to take up irrigation projects in the Mahadayi river basin. The rally will begin at Sardar's High School Ground and end at the Deputy Commissioner's office. Environmentalists like Sagar Dhara, S.R. Hiremath, Suresh Heblikar, and Shivaji Kagnikar are expected to participate. This was announced in a meeting in Belagavi on May 27. Environmentalists, farmers and leaders of various organisations launched the 'Our Water Our Right' campaign, and vowed to fight against projects that had the potential to damage the fragile ecosystem of the Western Ghats. Dilip Kamath, activist, spoke in detail about the possible negative impact of the Mahadayi basin projects on the Western Ghats in Belagavi. He said the extensive deforestation and submergence of forests in the Khanapur region could dry up the two rivers — Malaprabha and Mahadayi — and lead to the disastrous effect of desertification of northern Karnataka. Citing from the Gadgil Report and Kasturi Rangan Reports, he said that unchecked non-forest activities in the Western Ghats could threaten the existence of these forests that were considered ecological hot spots. 'The two reports had advised against deforestation and projects that could damage the forests. The reports were meticulously prepared and had documented the trees and wildlife in the region. They had called for concerted efforts to protect the biodiversity of the Western Ghats, including the Khanapur forests that are part of the region,' he said. 'The report highlighted the biodiversity of the Western Ghats and the immense benefits it brings to the country, providing a detailed report on the protection of the Western Ghats. However, the Kalasa Banduri Nala projects could damage the ecology of the Western Ghats. Therefore, everyone needs to join hands for the survival of the Western Ghats by abandoning the Kalasa Banduri project,' Mr. Kamat said. Sujit Mulgund, a social activist, said that unscientific projects had diverted water away from Belagavi to other districts. Drinking water from the Malaprabha river is being supplied from Belagavi district to Hubballi-Dharwad cities, and new projects are being planned to divert Ghataprabha water from Hidkal dam to Dharwad industrial area. 'But then, farmers in Bagalkot and Ramdurg taluks are using water from the Malaprabha reservoir to grow two crops, while farmers in Navalgund, Nargund, and Dharwad are using this water for more than two crops. The amount of water used from the Malaprabha reservoir has now increased, with claims that the downstream population has increased. But the water is being misused for non-native water guzzling crops,' he said. Shashikant Nayak, former minister and farmers' leader, said that the government of Karnataka had allowed industries in Dharwad to take water from Hidkal dam, without taking the farmers of Belagavi into confidence. 'This could lead to a shortage of drinking water in the Belagavi area,' he said. He said farmers would strongly oppose the Mahadayi river water diversion project and fight till it was abandoned, as it could harm the Western Ghats. Captain Nitin Dhond, environmentalist, said studies by IISc scientists and researchers from the Norway Institute for Water Research had highlighted the serious negative impact of the Mahadayi river basin projects. He said it could affect the Malaprabha river, the Western Ghats, the Bhimgad wildlife sanctuary and the Mahadayi river. Advocate Nitin Bolbandi, farmer leader Chunappa Poojeri, Sidagouda Modagi, Mallesh Chougale, Nyla Coelo, Geeta Sahu, Neeta Potdar, Sunita Patil, Colonel Ravindra Saini, ISKCON representatives, environmentalists, farmer leaders, and Dalit leaders were present.
