Stop blaming industry, for sewerage gas leakage: Industry

Ludhiana, May 1, 2023: In a joint statement here today, Gurmeet Singh Kular President FICO (Federation of Industrial & Commercial Orgaization), Manjinder Singh Sachdeva General Secretary UCPMA (United Cycle & Parts Manufacturers Association), Satnam Singh Makkar President DIWA (Dhandari Industrial Welfare Association) and Amarjit Singh Chauhan President Small Scale Industries Association Daba Road, said that the incident of gas leak in Giaspura area of Ludhiana is very painful wherein eleven people, including three children, died allegedly after inhaling toxic gas on Sunday. Giaspura is a thickly populated area with a migrant population. It is very unfortunate that such a tragic incident has happened in Ludhiana. 

Further, they said that it has been confirmed that the incident has been caused by leakage of H2S gas in the Giaspura area. Hydrogen Sulphide gas (H2S) is formed due to anaerobic decaying of organic matter in sewers, The Sewermen deaths have also been experienced due to inhaling this gas. There is a huge problem of sewer choking in the Giaspura area due to under-capacity sewers. It is notable that there is no proper ventilation system provided within 500-metre stretch where this incident occurred.

There is no possibility of Hydrogen Sulphide gas (H2S) formation through reaction with any industrial effluent. Even if the assumption is drawn that any spent chemical in the form of HCL or H2SO4 is discharged, then also No Gas in such a huge amount could have been produced. If HCL could have reacted with anything, it should not have been used in toilet cleaners. As such, the shift of blame on industries without finding the proper root cause is completely unfair and unjust. 

Industries are operating in this area for the last 30 years and no such incident came out to light. How come this incident can happen all of a sudden? This is a clear case of accumulation of Hydrogen Sulphide in sewers due to choking and its sudden release when a man tried to open the manhole, they said, adding, that this is a very unfortunate incident.