Chlorine leak from old cylinder at unused STP plant at IIM Mumbai

Mumbai: Three BMC security guards and three fire brigade personnel suffered minor injuries due to a chlorine gas leak from an old cylinder lying at an unused STP plant within the IIM Mumbai campus at Powai around 11 pm on Saturday. The security guards are from the Bhandup Water Treatment Complex, which is adjoining the campus of IIM. A Mumbai Fire Brigade team, along with a HAZMAT vehicle, reached the spot and neutralised the leakage by the wee hours. The three firemen, who suffered from suffocation, were treated and were initially kept at the hospital for observation before being discharged. The three civic security guards too were treated and discharged.

According to BMC and Mumbai Fire Brigade officials, the leakage was from an old rusted 400 kg cylinder at a non-functional STP plant within the IIM Mumbai campus at Powai. “The cylinder was lying in a ground-floor structure within the compound of the institution. The Bhandup Water Treatment Complex has a gate on the Powai side adjoining the IIM Mumbai campus, and the BMC security guards suffered the injuries, as they were the first to smell the leak and went to check the source. The fire brigade was informed at around 11 pm. After the team reached the spot, they had difficulty in identifying the location and source of the gas leak, and it took some time, as it was a non-functional STP plant,” said a civic official.

“The fire brigade deployed its HAZMAT vehicle, and the firemen, who donned BA sets, initially tried to stop chlorine leakage from the cylinder using sealants. However, the leakage could not be stopped due to the rusted condition of the cylinder. Subsequently, the gas was neutralised by using caustic soda and in accumulated water,” said a fire brigade official.

IIM-Mumbai’s director Manoj Tiwari said that it was a minor incident that has been contained with help from the Mumbai Fire Brigade. He said that there was an old and abandoned STP plant on the campus where a 10-12-year-old chlorine gas cylinder was lying. “We were informed about the leak late in the night, but timely action was taken and it was contained. We have taken all precautions as per the fire brigade’s instructions,” he said.