The tragic leak of styrene from the LG Polymers Plant that killed 11 people in Vizag has raised questions on the safety of the neighbouring villages. In the wake of the horrific accident, the State Government has initiated the process of shipping 13,000 tonnes of styrene in two consignments, of 8,000 tonnes and 5,000 tonnes respectively, to South Korea.
Speaking to media, Visakhapatnam District Collector V Vinay Chand said, “Styrene monomer polymerised due to the increased temperature, which led to the unfortunate gas leak. However, external inhibitors were used to control the polymerisation reaction on 7 May Additionally, water cooling was also done to restore the previous conditions inside the plant.”
Stating that the situation is now under control, the District Collector said that while the temperature inside the tank was 154 degrees celsius on the evening of 7 May, the same has now been brought to 67 degrees celsius. He mentioned that that though the polymerisation reaction was successfully arrested, Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy directed the district authorities to shift the styrene immediately. Currently, 8,000 tonnes of styrene monomer is being pumped into the containers. The consignment will leave for South Korea from Vizag on 12 May. Arrangements are being made to ship the rest of the styrene from LG Polymers plant within 48-72 hours.
Meanwhile, relief measures are being carried out in the five villages affected by the gas leak. Mr Chand said that sanitation activities will continue in those affected areas throughout the week. In order to improve public health conditions, the government deployed over 700 sanitation workers in five villages to clean up the main roads, internal roads, drains, and remove the corpses of livestock that perished during the gas leak. A static medical camp will be set up for a month where all the survivors of the gas leak will be tested, based on the suggestions from expert medical professionals.
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