KOCHI: Emotions boiled at Ambalamugal area on Friday with the local people planning strong protest measures in the wake of the gas leak incident which resulted in 30 children of Government Vocational Higher Secondary School (GVHSS), Ambalamugal, being hospitalised.
It was on Thursday that the students and teachers of GVHSS were admitted to various hospitals following alleged inhalation of hazardous gas from the BPCL-Kochi.
Fourteen of the students are being treated at a private hospital in the city and their conditions, according to the hospital authorities, are stable.
Though a major tragedy was averted on Thursday thanks to the timely intervention of school management, Police and the Fire and Rescue personnel, the school monitoring committee members made it clear that they do not want to risk the lives of the students by continuing the school in the present
location, which is in close proximity to the BPCL-Kochi.
Who is responsible?
The school welfare committee members said the BPCL unit had conducted a trial run on Wednesday. “The pipeline of the gas unit was just 50 metres away from the UP section. It was the students of this block who were affected initially. The odour was very strong and gas started spreading,” said Ansudheen M B, a teacher.They also alleged that it is sheer negligence on the part of BPCL-Kochi. “The school boasts of rich history and once almost 2,000 students studied here. Now, the strength has gone down to nearly 250. Most of the residents relocated due to pollution and evacuation as part of industrial expansion. We do not think that the BPCL will admit that the leakage was from their unit,” said Venugopal T P, a former teacher.
Mounting protest
The PTA members said the only air monitoring mechanism is situated near Chitrapuzha. The school is nearly a kilometre away from the monitoring system. “We demanded installation of similar mechanism near the school. But, the BPCL authorities were unwilling. We have decided to launch a strong protest march on Saturday. The meeting will be organised jointly by school welfare committee, various trade unions, environmentalists and local people,” Venugopal added.
Shifting the school
A meeting will be convened by Educational Minister Raveendranath next week to discuss the permanent shifting of the School to the FACT Recreation Club Unit at Karimugal. “The proposal is pending with the government. Most of the students studying here are from Karimugal. Moreover, parents are hesitant to send students to Ambalamugal,” according to Valavukode-Puthenkurissu grama panchayath president P K Velayudhan.
He said that from next week onwards, the school will be temporarily shifted to Karimugal.
Inquiry begins
The Department of Factories and Boilers has began its inquiry. After conducting a visit to the school, S Mani, the joint director, said their intial aim is to identify the source of the gas. “We cannot act on the basis of hospital reports. We need to identify the type of vapour that was leaked, its source and then only go for a detailed report,” he said.
“During the time when the incident happened, the sky was cloudy. Hence the chances are there for vapour getting clouded and settling in the affected area all of a sudden. We are looking into every aspects," he added.
BPCL-Kochi clueless
Even after two days of gas leak at Ambalamugal, there is no clarity as to what the gas was and the source of the leak.
BPCL Kochi Refinery maintains its stand that the company has not detected any leak from its plant and project site. A examination was carried out by the officials of Department of Factories and Boilers and Kerala State Pollution Control Board that lasted till Friday night. “We have been carrying out thorough search of our plant area and project site immediately after we had received reports of gas leak. We could not find any abnormalities at our facilities. Our team has searched even in the drainage. Now the officials of Factories and Boilers and Pollution Control Board have to find out the source,” said a Kochi Refinery official.