industrial-disasters-hurting-india-s-dreams

The massive explosion at a chemical factory in Telangana’s Sangareddy district recently, which left over 40 dead, came as a grim reminder of the systemic lapses facing the Indian industry—inadequate safety protocols, insufficient training, and weak enforcement of regulations.

 

According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), over 130 significant chemical accidents have been reported in the country in the last decade, claiming more than 260 lives. The number of accidents and the toll could be much higher because several incidents are often underreported.

Industrial disasters happen in India at such a depressing regularity that there is always a sense of déjà vu surrounding them. After a round of ritualistic condemnations, announcement of compensation and official probes, the death toll soon reduces to cold statistics and then it is back to business as usual before another tragedy strikes.

 

Accountability is never fixed and lessons are never learnt. Laxity in implementing safety protocols and loopholes in regulatory control are often cited as the main reasons for industrial mishaps.

 

Deadly price for negligence

 

The reactor blast at Sigachi Industries, manufacturing microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) from wood pulp, was so powerful that the entire complex was reduced to rubble and the bodies of workers were trapped under it.

 

Experts say that overheating may have resulted in the thermal decomposition of MCC in the spray dryer. This alarming rise in temperature had surprisingly gone unnoticed by the staff. Apparently, the safety mechanism to cut off the heat had malfunctioned, leading to the tragedy. Workers from both the general and night shifts had gathered at the factory premises at the time of the explosion, leading to a high number of casualties and burn injuries.

 

A day after the Telangana tragedy, an explosion at a fireworks manufacturing unit in Tamil Nadu’s Virudhunagar district claimed the lives of eight workers. Both mishaps are the latest in a series of such tragedies that have struck Indian industrial units. In 2024, a blast in Thane, Maharashtra, killed 10 people and two blasts at firecracker factories in Tamil Nadu killed 14 people. There was also a chemical factory explosion in Anakapalli in Andhra Pradesh. Last year, at least 240 workplace accidents were reported from manufacturing, mining and energy sectors, which caused over 400 fatalities and many more injuries, according to official data.

No lessons learnt

High-level probes have been announced by Telangana and Tamil Nadu governments into the recent mishaps to find out the reasons and to suggest ways for averting them in future. However, the recommendations of similar committees constituted in the past by various states were not implemented.

 

It is a common experience that private companies often try to cut corners by compromising on safety measures, which could turn out to be costly. It has now emerged that the Sangareddy factory had no fire alarms and heat sensors. The absence of even basic safety systems was overlooked.

 

It must be borne in mind that the Bhopal gas tragedy, one of the world’s biggest industrial accidents, happened because of a lack of vigil.  Even after such a massive tragedy, there is still a lack of awareness about the need for stringent safety measures.

 

The regulatory and supervisory checks have also been proved grossly inadequate. After every accident, accountability should be fixed and the guilty should be punished. The recurring accidents will hinder India’s aspiration to become a global manufacturing powerhouse.

Patchy regulation

 

Typically, fragmented regulations with overlapping jurisdictions and loopholes in India end up weakening safety oversight and enforcement. The companies are unwilling to invest in training its workers, particularly those handling hazardous chemicals. This hugely increases the risks of accidents.

 

Added to the woes are the cost-cutting measures that neglect safety equipment and infrastructure, such as ventilation and fire safety. Poor maintenance practices also lead to compromising on safety.

 

Experts have suggested formulation of a national framework with defined roles for various agencies to enforce safety regulations in factories. Similarly, creation of a centralised database to document risks associated with industrial chemicals will help in preventing the accidents. The absence of such a database creates a knowledge gap, hindering hazard assessment and safety protocol development.

 

The 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy emphasises the critical need for a centralised database to document the risks associated with industrial chemicals. There is also a need for implementing stricter penalties and more frequent inspections by qualified personnel.

 

Undertaking comprehensive training programmes and drills to improve worker awareness of safety protocols, encouraging the use of environmentally sound technologies (ESTs) to reduce hazards and manage waste and providing financial aid, such as tax breaks or subsidies to support infrastructure upgrades and new technologies, are among the other measures that go a long way in creating safe ecosystem for industries, particularly those involved in processing hazardous chemicals.

 

A 2017 National Safety Council of India (NSCI) study linked worker unawareness of safety protocols to a high number of industrial accidents. It recommended comprehensive training programmes with drills for all staff levels.

 

Need for unified approach

Multiple agencies, often working at cross purposes, hinder the regulatory process. At present, there is a lack of unified approach for the chemical industry. This fragmentation leads to overlapping jurisdictions and loopholes, weakening oversight and enforcement of safety measures.

 

The NDMA had issued specific guidelines on Chemical Disaster Management, giving direction to various authorities for preparing detailed disaster management plans. These must be implemented in letter and spirit. Another problem is that a significant portion of India’s industrial activity is in the unorganised or informal sector, which often operates outside the regulatory oversight, making workers highly vulnerable to unsafe conditions.

Stronger enforcement, modernised infrastructure, better training, and a culture of safety—especially in the informal sector—are urgently needed to prevent industrial disasters in future.