Lok Sabha Question No. 2309 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-08-03
Subject: Leakage of Gas and Chemicals
Ministry: CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS
Asked by: Kunwar Danish Ali

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICALS AND PETROCHEMICALS

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 2309 TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.08.2021

## Leakage of Gas and Chemicals 2309: SHRI KUNWAR DANISH ALI

Will the Minister of CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  number  of  incidents  comes  to  notice  regarding  the  harmful  Gas  and chemical leaks in last 10 years and the recent year in the country, State-wise;
- (b) the details thereof and the number of people affected and died by these tragedies;
- (c) the types of help given by the Government to the victims and what steps being taken by the Government on the culprits; and
- (d) the steps being taken by the Government in this regard to stop such incidents in the future?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER FOR CHEMICALS AND FERTILIZERS (SHRI MANSUKH MANDAVIYA)

- (a) & (b): Yes Sir; Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) compiles data on chemical accidents based on the information received from Chief Inspector of Factories (CIFs) of the State Governments/ Union Territories. The State-wise details of incidents of gas/chemical leakage only in last ten years (i.e. from 2011-2021) and the number of people affected and died by these incidents are as given below:
- (c): The primary responsibility to deal with chemical accidents and provide relief to the victims rests with State Government(s)/ Union Territory administration(s). However, under  the  provisions  of  Public  Liability  Insurance  (PLI)  Act,  1991,  the  Central Government had established an Environmental Relief Fund (ERF) in 2008 to provide immediate relief to the persons affected by accidents while handling any hazardous

| State/UT                    | No. of gas/chemical leak accidents (2011-2021)   | No. of people affected/injured (2011-2021)   | No. of people died (2011-2021)   |
|-----------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------|
| Andaman and Nicobar Islands | ---                                              | ---                                          | ---                              |
| Andhra Pradesh              | 6                                                | 4010                                         | 30                               |
| Arunachal Pradesh           | ---                                              | ---                                          | ---                              |
| Assam                       | 2                                                | 11                                           | 2                                |
| Bihar                       | ---                                              | ---                                          | ---                              |

| State/UT                             | No. of gas/chemical leak accidents (2011-2021)   | No. of people affected/injured (2011-2021)   | No. of people died (2011-2021)   |
|--------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------|
| Chandigarh                           | ---                                              | ---                                          | ---                              |
| Chhattisgarh                         | ---                                              | ---                                          | ---                              |
| Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli | ---                                              | ---                                          | ---                              |
| Delhi                                | 4                                                | 479                                          | 3                                |
| Goa                                  | 2                                                | 2                                            | ---                              |
| Gujarat                              | 18                                               | 28                                           | 23                               |
| Haryana                              | ---                                              | ---                                          | ---                              |
| Himachal Pradesh                     | ---                                              | ---                                          | ---                              |
| Jammu & Kashmir (including Ladakh)   | ---                                              | ---                                          | ---                              |
| Jharkhand                            | ---                                              | ---                                          | ---                              |
| Karnataka                            | ---                                              | ---                                          | ---                              |
| Kerala                               | 2                                                | 9                                            | 5                                |
| Lakshadweep                          | ---                                              | ---                                          | ---                              |
| Madhya Pradesh                       | 2                                                | ---                                          | ---                              |
| Maharashtra                          | 9                                                | 16                                           | 1                                |
| Manipur                              | ---                                              | ---                                          | ---                              |
| Meghalaya                            | ---                                              | ---                                          | ---                              |
| Mizoram                              | ---                                              | ---                                          | ---                              |
| Nagaland                             | ---                                              | ---                                          | ---                              |
| Odisha                               | 8                                                | 16                                           | 2                                |
| Puducherry                           | ---                                              | ---                                          | ---                              |
| Punjab                               | 3                                                | 100                                          | 6                                |
| Rajasthan                            | 5                                                | 1                                            | 6                                |
| Sikkim                               | ---                                              | ---                                          | ---                              |
| Tamil Nadu                           | 4                                                | 3                                            | ---                              |
| Telangana                            | 8                                                | 3                                            | 7                                |
| Tripura                              | ---                                              | ---                                          | ---                              |
| Uttar Pradesh                        | 4                                                | 229                                          | 7                                |
| Uttarakhand                          | ---                                              | ---                                          | ---                              |
| West Bengal                          | 6                                                | 7                                            | 5                                |
| Total                                | 83                                               | 4914                                         | 97                               |

substance and for the matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. The amount of compensation to be awarded is also notified as part of the schedule to the PLI Act, 1991.

- (d): National  Disaster  Management  Authority  (NDMA)  had  issued  National  Disaster Management  Guidelines  on  Chemical  Disasters  (Industrial)  in  April,  2007.  The Guidelines inter- alia contains the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders to deal with such situations. NDMA had also released National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP)  in  May,  2016  (updated  in  2019)  to  assist  stakeholders  including  State Governments  in  disaster  risk  management  of  various  hazards  including  chemical (Industrial). The Plan provides a framework and direction to government agencies for all phases of disaster management i.e. prevention, mitigation, response and recovery. Further,  the  MOEF&CC  has  also  notified  Manufacture,  Storage  and  Import  of Hazardous  Chemical  Rules,  1989  (MSIHC  Rules,  1989)  and  Chemical  Accident (Emergency Planning, Preparedness and Response) Rules, 1996 under the provisions of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The rules were notified with the objective of preventing chemical accidents from industrial activities, mitigate associated impacts and  provide  statutory  backup  to  crisis  management  set  up  with  four-tier  system  at Central, State, District and Local level. The State Chief Inspector of Factories (CIFs) (appointed under the Factories Act, 1948) are the nodal agencies to enforce directions and procedures in respect of industrial installations and isolated storages covered under the Factories Act, 1948 dealing with hazardous chemicals and pipelines including interstate pipelines. Similarly, Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization (PESO) has been mandated to approve the sites of industrial installation and isolated Storages.

******