The City of Destiny has lost some of its allure over the years, feel denizens who have grown up in the city.
Known for its beaches, mountains and Buddhist heritage sites, Visakhapatnam still holds sway in the country’s tourist map, but residents say the skyrocketing pollution has taken an incalculable toll on their quality of life.
Recurring industrial accidents and high pollution levels had earned Vizag the dubious tag of a ‘critically polluted city’ from the Central Pollution Control Board in 2009 itself.
“North Andhra, particularly Vizag and its surroundings, has become a destination for clusters of chemical manufacturing units, many of which handle highly hazardous substances. Such industries are moving to these parts from the West, as a result of lax regulation by bodies such as APPCB and the Inspectorate of Factories,” social activist and former IAS officer E.A.S. Sarma told The Hindu.
“During the last few years, around 40 serious accidents have taken place, resulting in both workers and others losing their lives. Unregulated chemical manufacturing industries belching out toxic pollutants have adversely affected the health, both short-term and long-term, of people living near the units. It is a pity that authorities rarely learn their lessons, resulting in the recurrence of such ghastly accidents as the one that occurred on May 7 at LG Polymers,” Mr. Sarma said.
The National Green Tribunal, which took up a case suo moto against LG Polymers after a gas leak at its plant in the city on May 7 left 12 people dead and over 500 hospitalised, held the view that the South Korean company had absolute liability for the accident.
The incident raised serious safety concerns even as the State Government launched an exercise to conduct a safety audit of 86 hazardous industries, most of which are located in the city limits.
“The pitiable part is that despite so many fatal incidents at regular intervals, beginning with the vapour cloud explosion at HPCL Visakh Refinery that claimed over 60 lives in 1997, the findings of the reports have neither found a place in public domain nor has any action initiated against the officials responsible for safety lapses,” an official said.
As the rest of the world marks World Environment Day on June 5, noted risk analyst Sagar Dhara said a Damocles’ sword is hanging over the people of Vizag due to the presence of several industries without specifying the risk perceptions and conveying to the people in the neighbourhood about the vulnerability of the industry in the event of any accident.
