CPCB had red-flagged acidic discharge for Giaspura deaths
Nitin Jain
Ludhiana, October 18
“The pH level of 2.5-2.6 as reported in main sewer water near the houses where deaths occurred was a result of acidic industrial effluent discharge,” the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had concluded after visiting the Giaspura gas leak tragedy site on May 3.
It had also cited the same cause for release of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) in very high concentration from such sewers. A report to this effect was submitted by a team of CPCB scientists – G Rambabu, Narender Sharma, Kamlesh Singh and Nazimuddin.
However, the eight-member fact-finding joint committee, headed by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) chairman Adarsh Pal Vig, had concluded in its report that the actual causes of the incident were “very difficult” to establish while giving a “clean chit” to the polluting industries on the ground that “no polluting industry was responsible for the incident”.
Finding the 397-page voluminous report that was submitted on October 11, after conducting the inquiry for over five months, as “not convincing”, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had on October 13 ordered a fresh independent inquiry to ascertain the real cause of gas leak and to fix the responsibility.
In its two-page report, a copy of which is with The Tribune, the CPCB had concluded that the intermittent discharge of acidic and metallic industrial effluent/ waste into mixed sewers can be a source of sudden release of H2S gas in very high concentration from such sewers.
“The above facts strongly point towards the discharge of industrial effluent as the cause of highly acidic water in the main sewer in the area and also the cause of release of H2S in the sewer line in high concentration, leading to immediate collapse and death of 11 persons,” the CPCB report had clearly mentioned.
Taking note of the CPCB findings, the NGT Principal Bench had opined that a fresh report by an independent panel was needed.
Tragedy had claimed 11 lives in April
A sudden release of high concentration of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) from a roadside manhole in Giaspura, Ludhiana, on April 30 had claimed 11 lives, including five of a family, and left four injured.
