I read an interesting article where an expert in Canada testifies against the construction of a residential complex next to a chemical facility. The article mentions that "Gaade (the expert) gave testimony about several scenarios he examined to determine the effects of an accident at the chemical plant, and although he said BioVectra has one of the safest plants he’s been in, putting an apartment building next to it is not an acceptable risk. “I’ve never seen it before anywhere other than Third World countries,” Gaade said."
Now, In India, the main problem is lack of will in enforcing the existing laws. Many chemical plants come up in isolated areas but after some years, residences spring up around the plant, with the authorities knowing about it. The IOC Jaipur oil depot where a major fire occurred, is an example.
When will we ever learn? Read the article in this link.
To avoid development of residential areas around a factory, which is obvious due to real estate business, hazardous chemical factory managements need to acquire sufficient land such that they can setup their factory in the inner core and also maintain a sort of exclusion zone as is practiced by nuclear power plants. This calls for acquiring certain minimum land for setting up of any factory handling hazardous chemicals, as it is a norm for construction of residential houses by municipal authorities/corporation. Though, this will be a costly affair, but is a must to protect the lives.
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