Kerala - Kochi   

Construction of tanks to store chemicals should follow norms

Staff Reporter

Court issues directive to Collector to ensure safety of Vathuruthy residents

Kochi: A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on Tuesday directed the Ernakulam Collector to ensure that any construction of tanks for storing hazardous chemicals in the Vathuruthy area should be allowed only after fulfilling the statutory formalities.

The Bench comprising Chief Justice V.K. Bali and Justice M. Ramachandran issued the directive while closing a petition filed by the Willingdon Island Residents Association to prohibit the construction of storage tanks in the Vathuruthy area in the wake of the collapse of a tank.

The sub-divisional magistrate who conducted the inspection at the site said that at every stage of construction of tanks, the soundness of the construction should be ascertained.

The report said that the soil condition at the land were not ideal for the construction of storage tanks unless proper foundations were in place.

Vathuruthy being a densely populated area any installation of such storage tanks caused serious safety problems.

The report recommended that sufficient space had to be left between tanks and dwelling houses. If permission were to be granted for installation of the tanks, it might be done after a full-fledged crisis management system was put in place in the locality.

The Collector in an affidavit said that no-objection certificate from the District Collector, the Joint Director of Factories and Boilers, Ernakulam, the Chief Environmental Engineer, Pollution Control Board, and the Divisional Officer, Fire and Rescue Services, and Naval authorities had to be obtained before constructing the tanks.

The Cochin Port Trust said that storage tanks were being constructed after carrying out intensive soil investigation.

Environment clearance

Apart from this, necessary Environment Impact Assessment and disaster management plans by approved agencies were conducted and commissioning of the facilities was permitted only after obtaining the environment clearance.

Fire protection arrangements, as per standards laid down by Oil Industries Safety Directorate were also put in place before commissioning of the tanks.

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