As Kerala struggles to cope with yet another fireworks tragedy that has claimed 15 lives, TNIE speaks to R Venugopal, a safety professional. Venugopal, who retired after three decades with the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO), was involved in licensing fireworks display in Kerala, reviewing safety protocol of BPCL Kochi Refinery, overseeing safety parameters of GAIL pipeline, and was also in charge of the demolition of Maradu flats.
Venugopal points out the lapses that may have led to the Thrissur fireworks disaster, safety concerns in hazardous industries, his role in the supply of medical oxygen during the pandemic, and how the Maradu flat demolition was one of the most stressful phases of his life.
Excerpts
Can you walk us through your distinguished career as a chemical expert with the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO)?
I retired as the joint chief controller of explosives in Gujarat, having headed the state unit for four years. Gujarat has the most number of major accident hazard industries in India – more than 2,400. Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu are second and third. Kerala has just 38 hazard industries. There are only 120 CNG dispensing stations in Kerala while Gujarat has 8,000.
PNG is replacing LPG in cities. Is it safe?
Safety issues are less. It’s being done after taking all safety precautions. Before laying the pipeline, they will conduct hydro testing. In apartments, they can install flame and gas detectors. If there’s a leak, we can shut down the emergency valve. An alarm will go off too. LNG is being distributed at low pressure. It is the safest.
What’s your primary observation on the Thrissur fireworks tragedy?
It is a man-made disaster. We haven’t learnt any lesson from recurring fireworks accidents. I was part of the inquiry commission which probed the Puttingal fireworks accident (in 2016). I have never witnessed such a painful accident in my life.
The statements of witnesses were heart-wrenching. As per our recommendations accepted by the Centre, there should be comprehensive risk assessment at every site. The Thiruvambady and Paramekkavu devaswoms conduct the assessment. Organisers of ‘Nenmara Vela’ and ‘Uthralikkavu’ festival too will comply. But many others just take a copy of these reports and submit. The risks are different at each location. We should be able to calculate how much potassium nitrate + sulphur + charcoal will be there and how far it will travel in case of an explosion. The wind velocity will be different and ambient temperature has to be checked.
Why do you call it a man-made disaster? In what aspects was there negligence?
If you examine the ADM’s licence, I’m sure it won’t be issued for the spot where the mishap occurred. An explosive assembly unit will invite immense public opposition. So the licensee will choose a secluded spot. Later, he will identify an open field near the city and set up a temporary shed.
Though for a limited time, the profit they make is enormous and they are addicted to it. For instance, for a cracker that costs Rs 100, the production cost will be just Rs 17. Middlemen pocket the rest. The damage (in the Thrissur blast) extended to around 1.2 km, showing the huge quantity of explosives and unauthorised chemicals used.
According to the licensing criteria, how should a temporary structure function?
To make explosives, we need a mixing shed. The wall should be up to 45cm thick. There should be two doors and only two workers should be present at a time. The shed should function only from 6am to 10.30am. Also, a safety distance of 18m should be maintained around the shed. That distance should be 45m if it is adjacent to another compound. The dimension of the room should be 3 x 3m. In the manufacturing shed, four people can be allowed.
The platform used for drying should be one metre high. The mixing shed should have asbestos or GI sheet roofing and the truss must be mild steel, not wooden. The height should be 2m to 2.5m. No electrical wiring should be permitted. An ADM can issue a licence for fireworks of up to 15kg. Notably, there are only two PESO licensees in Kerala as the conditions are strict.
Is a licence required only for mixing of explosives?
No, the entire process requires various licences. For mixing, only 2.5kg to 5kg is allowed at a time. But they exceed the limit to finish it off fast. Rules say the flooring must be smooth and clean. Here, they used a tarpaulin sheet for the roof and mixed explosives on the ground. Just two metres away, women made fuses and dried them. Manufacturing occurred adjacent to it. There was no drying platform. The workers are ignorant of the dangers. But, for the manufacturers, explosives are a sort of addiction. You see many firecracker shops. But has any of them gone out of business? They won’t shut down because of the huge profit.
You said only two companies have the PESO licence...
Burma Fireworks and Champion Fireworks. They manufacture small-intensity firecrackers. They won’t take any risk in a state like Kerala.
So, all other contractors work without a licence?
For firecrackers up to 15 kg, only the district administration’s licence is required. However, the number of times it can be manufactured in a month is at the district collector’s discretion. Three times is the usual limit. But in line with the requirement, the collector can amend it on request and increase it to 20. Former Thrissur Collector A Kousigan was very meticulous about this aspect. He used to constantly monitor the situation. So was T V Anupama who took charge after him.
You monitored Thrissur Pooram fireworks for a long time...
I was involved with Thrissur fireworks for 16 years. In 2006, an accident occurred on the manufacturing premises of Paramekkavu. Thereafter, several instructions were given, and since then, no accidents have occurred. For 20 years, no accidents have happened at the display grounds of Thrissur Pooram or Nenmara Vela.
They are very conscious of the safety of their display ground, and they stick to the SOP meticulously. The workers engaged in Thrissur Pooram fireworks should be termed as artists. Products such as ‘kuzhiminnal’ are not used elsewhere and are entirely made by workers from Thrissur. Workers used to make crackers with a perimeter of more than six inches, which is the ceiling. We never allowed that. I’m not against Pooram fireworks, but it should be done safely and by following rules. There are fireworks factories in Sivakasi – in fact, 42 of them – where no accidents have occurred in the past 100 years.
Should the authorities have checked where the manufacturing was taking place?
Yes, certainly. The stakeholders should check whether the manufacturing site is as mentioned in the licence, whether they are maintaining safety distance, whether the mixing shed is in order, and whether any electric line is drawn. Why should there be an electric line in a manufacturing unit? PESO rules say the working time of manufacturing units should be from 6am to 6pm.
So what’s the need for lighting? In the case of the recent mishap, wiring or ambient temperature is not at fault. Numerous media persons wearing shoes had visited the unit and even spoke to people working there. Soil particles from the shoes of the visitors may have created a spark. There is no other chance for a fire outbreak.
There are also chances that potassium chlorate may have been used. If so, traces will be detected during forensic examination. Potassium chlorate was banned in 1992. It can now be used only in matchstick manufacturing in Kerala. Matchstick companies that are defunct, but haven’t cancelled the licences, may sell these during such occasions.
Chlorate gives a good sound effect. Without chlorate, the blast effect wouldn’t have been this strong. The effect was felt more than a kilometre away, which means unauthorised chemical composition was used. In Sivakasi, security is so strong they won’t allow visitors inside factories. I can say that the recent accident is a man-made disaster... 101% sure.
For what purposes are licences issued?
There are three types of licences. LE 1 is for manufacturing, LE 6 is display licence, and LE3 is for storing firecrackers.
Is the use of chlorate in firecrackers deadlier?
Chlorate is highly effective in producing sound. It enhances the explosive and lighting effect. I’m not sure if a sample is available, but if it were analysed, it would almost certainly contain chlorate. The intensity of the effect suggests this. Without chlorate, it wouldn’t have been so powerful.
Do you still find Thrissur Pooram fascinating?
Absolutely. It is an art form. I know many of the people involved. They usually return home around 6am, and if they miss a chance to conduct the display even once, their disappointment is huge. The collector, ADMs, fire force officials, police, and myself would all begin inspections from the starting point. We check every fitting, including the stemming. Iron bars are often used to secure certain parts, and we ensure they are properly fixed. Even a slight tilt in a ‘kuzhiminnal’ can direct it into the crowd. We walk more than a kilometre for a single party’s setup.
The gunpowder tail is attached only after our inspection. At the final stage, they sometimes try to fit eight-inch items into six-inch slots, and that is where disagreements arise. Safety must always take precedence in such events.
As an expert, why do you still support such displays? What about the pollution caused?
Are there any studies that conclusively prove pollution from such displays? There is sound pollution, certainly, but that lasts only for a limited duration – hours or even minutes. That is not the primary concern. What I oppose is unauthorised fireworks displays and manufacturing. Fireworks conducted strictly according to rules can be among the safest. In the case of Puttingal, rules were clearly violated. Chlorate was used, and at the finishing stage, ‘amittu’ was fired while the previous one was still burning.
People moved on to the next before the earlier one had fully extinguished. At Puttingal, continuous firing went wrong. In panic, one person misfired and threw it into the firecracker shed, triggering the tragedy. Debris struck a person nearly 1.5 kilometres away, showing how deadly it was. Unauthorised locations must not be granted licences. Applications should be rejected immediately to prevent illegal manufacturing. In Nenmara, safety distances exceed 100 metres, which is why it is conducted safely. In Kerala, there is only one way to go about it. Small-scale fireworks manufacturing units must be stopped. Instead, they should be shifted to fireworks parks.
The government can establish three or four factories within a large area, allocating one unit to each manufacturer. Each facility should maintain a 45-metre safety distance. For example, in a 40-acre area, only a few factories would operate. Common raw materials and storage facilities can be maintained, with proper partitions for individual units. This ensures a secluded and controlled environment where sparks cannot spread from one unit to another.
Wouldn’t centralisation create risks?
That is precisely why a 45-metre safety distance is maintained. No rocket can travel that far; maximum is around 15 metres. In places like Sivakasi, units operate in clusters.
But isn’t Sivakasi largely a cottage industry?
It operates largely as a cottage industry under the district administration, with over 800 PESO licences. Individual businesses there can have turnovers of Rs 300 crore or more. Major manufacturers operate on a much larger scale, with turnovers of Rs 500-600 crore. A single factory may span 15 acres, handling aerial items and other products, with the next unit located at least 45 metres away. There has never been a cascading effect reported there. That’s why we recommend building large, enclosed facilities, say 50 acres with compound walls and designing factories based on capacity. Such a system would also allow Kerala to manufacture its own traditional fireworks like ‘kuzhiminnal’. These have already been approved by PESO. They were tested by the FRD, and in 2017,
‘kuzhiminnal’ received approval. Similarly, six-inch ‘amittu’ was also approved. If such dedicated facilities are established, Kerala’s traditional fireworks could even be produced for export to other countries.
Is it because of the absence of such a system that firecrackers are being manufactured locally?
Yes. People here are skilled, but not technically updated or aware of the hazards. In order to rectify these faults, the government should consider building a fireworks park and shift them there. This can also help with quality control checks of raw materials to avoid contents like chlorates, ensure safety distance, etc. Bigger magazines, built separately or as a common facility for different factories, can also be arranged. When such a park is constructed, there should also be firefighting systems and even a fire station. All this would generate employment for thousands.
In the backdrop of the recent tragedy, strong demands have risen to ban fireworks. Are you of the opinion that it should continue adhering to safety precautions?
If safety distance is being maintained, supervisors are qualified, and if the ADM – after risk assessment – is satisfied, let small-scale industries continue with the correct quantity.
Is any specific training given to workers?
Yes. At the FRDC (Fireworks Research & Development Centre) in Sivakasi, regular training programmes are conducted. Festival committees and manufacturers should send workers to these.
Can safety be ensured by avoiding loud firecrackers, with more focus on display?
Certainly. I have been advocating it. Sometime back, we held a pyrotechnic conference where a display of such crackers was conducted. But the spectators were not at all amused. Our attempt to introduce such crackers turned out to be a failure. Malayalis crave such sounds and pyrotechnics. I won’t say fireworks should be stopped altogether, but it should be done adhering to safety norms.
So, in the case of Thrissur, the authorities issued the licence, but failed to conduct periodic inspections?
No point in blaming ADM or other officials. The licensee must have obtained the licence to set up the manufacturing unit at some remote location, but instead manufactured crackers at this place. They may not also have transported the products periodically, as mandated. Profit is the underlying motivation. Had it been shifted in a time-bound manner, it (explosion) wouldn’t have been so grave.
Moving to implosions, you led the flat demolition at Maradu. Can you share the experience?
That was the first time such an action was carried out in India. And one of the most heartbreaking stories of my career. As an officer, I had to do my duty... but my conscience was stricken. When the district collector sought my assistance, I tried to initially evade, but later I realised that it was my responsibility. My chief controller told me I could take a call. I knew that if I didn’t follow the SC order, I will have to face the consequences. We decided to go ahead with the plan.
How challenging was the task?
We decided to use only explosives manufactured in India. Four companies including a South African firm participated in bidding. Three buildings were given to one company and two to another. The SC had set a target date, based on which we started working. We were very meticulous with calculations. I had to refer to many books, do umpteen calculations... we had to take into account the nature of explosives, the delay factor... the stress that I underwent during those days is unforgettable. From 82kg, I came down to 76kg. I visited the apartments daily. In between, there were mass agitations, media enquiries, and a few unforeseen scenarios. IOC officials came to meet me in panic. Four pipelines were present at a distance of 20m.
We explored various options and finally came up with a solution. Similarly, a boy staying at a house 15m away, used to come, insisting that his house be protected. So many came and broke down, asking whether I could do something to avoid demolition. It was heartbreaking (turns visibly emotional). Everyday was a challenge. Had it failed, I wouldn’t have been here to speak to you. The explosives used were under my control. Had something gone wrong, as the PESO official, I’d be solely responsible. That demolition was the most painful task that I carried out.
You have handled various tasks including those involving explosives, refinery, pipeline, implosions... which was the most challenging?
Oxygen supply during the Covid pandemic. We would have meetings even at 11 pm. I could ensure oxygen supply to even remote regions. Not a single patient died in Kerala due to a lack of oxygen. That was the most satisfying job in my entire career.