I was going through a risk assessment report prepared for an organization that was planning to increase production capacity using a toxic chemical as a raw material. This chemical is received through pipelines traversing through public areas. I found one thing startlingly out of place. The report used outdated population data in the vicinity of the pipelines. Unauthorized settlements were everywhere near the pipeline and this was not considered in the report. This is a peculiar problem in India. How can we rely on population statistics when the data itself is dynamic on a day to day basis! One other thing that always perturbs me is that I doubt if the user of the report understands the assumptions made and is really able to understand the report.
Just having a colorful report with a lot of drawings indicating toxic end points and red zones does not really mean you have identified the risks involved.While such reports are mandatory from a regulatory perspective, it is better that the organization revisit these reports periodically based on changes in population density.
Lord Tony Newton,independent chair of the Buncefield Investigation Board says "The system should in future consider the total population at risk – societal risk – at each new development application. We should not continue to allow surrounding populations to increase without considering the consequences". I really do not know how we can implement this in India unless there is strong enforcement by the regulatory agencies.
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