In the early hours of February 24, one person died as a result of injuries sustained after a blast in a reactor at Hetero Drugs in Nakapalle, Visakhapatnam district. On Wednesday, about 7.30 p.m., a blast occurred in one of the unit’s reactors, injuring five people. Two were stated to be in critical condition, and one of them, Sai Ram, died during treatment. Gangadhar’s health is still described as critical, and he is being treated in a private hospital in the city.
What went wrong in Hetero Reactor Visakhapatnam?
The Hetero facility in Nakapalle, according to top authorities from the Department of Factories, manufactures active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) or bulk medications for the domestic and semi-regulatory markets.
After neutralising the material in one reactor with nitric acid, the material was transferred to another reactor on Wednesday night.
Although the process was completed, we believe that some material remained caught in the lower pipeline following the transfer. The temperature at which the substance should be stored is minus 20 degrees Celsius, according to industry standards. However, according to our early estimate, the material was blocked in the pipeline for around one and a half hours, during which time the temperature would have risen and sparked the blast, said Mr. Narayana Rao, Deputy Inspector of Factories.
Officials from the Factories Department are investigating why the substance became caught in the pipeline and if the pipeline was properly insulated to maintain the -20 temperature. Officials claim that the reactor was not harmed and that only the conduit was blown apart, resulting in injuries and deaths. According to hospital officials, metal shards from the pipeline struck the employees at a high velocity, similar to splinters from a bomb.
According to Mr. Narayana Rao, the Hetero Drug reactor was on a test run, and that component of the plant has been shut down for further inquiry.
Meanwhile, the Nakapalle police have filed charges under IPC Section 304 a (death by negligence), IPC Section 338 (causing severe harm by endangering the life or personal safety of others), and other relevant IPC Sections.
This was not the first time something like this had happened in the unit. A reactor explosion killed four workers and injured two others in January 2013. The police then filed charges under comparable IPC Sections, and company officials admitted that they had used HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene Pipes) in the reactors instead of SS (stainless steel) pipes.
The use of HDPE pipes, according to officials from the Department of Factories, was also to blame for the catastrophe. At 2016, a blast in the factory’s scrapyard killed one worker.
Notice from the National Green Tribunal
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered an investigation based on prolonged agitation and a complaint lodged by people of adjacent communities. Residents of roughly nine surrounding villages, including those that are largely fishing communities, have reported that the corporation has secretly installed a pipeline for pouring its effluents into the sea across a distance of about 4 kilometres. According to V. S. Krishna of the Human Rights Forum, they protested about environmental harm, fish depletion, and groundwater pollution.
Safety audits are in high demand
Meanwhile, CITU district secretary G. Koteswara Rao urged that the State government perform a safety audit of all industries in SEZs and outside SEZs as soon as possible. He noted that in the last six years, around 90 people have been hurt and 30 have died in pharmaceutical company mishaps.
Not only should the government perform a safety audit and evaluate the transparency of the departments involved, but it should also look into historical accident files and the actions taken in response to them. EAS Sarma, a former bureaucrat, said as much.
A Factory Safety Board was recommended by the High Power Committee that investigated the Hindustan Polymers styrene monomer leak. But, according to Mr. Sarma, that looks to be stuck on the drawing board, and the proposals have yet to see the light of day.