Over 40 fall ill after chlorine gas leak at Nagpur water treatment plant

Nagpur (Maharashtra) [India], August 24 (ANI): More than 40 locals fell ill following a chlorine gas leak at a water treatment plant in the Godhni area of Nagpur in the early hours of Monday, prompting the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to launch an immediate rescue operation.
The incident took place around 1 AM at the Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran's Godhni Municipal Council Water Treatment Plant when chlorine gas began leaking from a 900-kg capacity cylinder. As the gas spread rapidly across nearby residential localities, widespread panic gripped the area, with several residents developing cough and breathing difficulties.
Local police personnel, along with administrative officials, swiftly alerted residents living in the immediate vicinity and advised them to evacuate to safer locations. Some affected people were immediately rushed to Sparsh Hospital in Zingabai Takli and Mayo Hospital for treatment.

Upon receiving the alert, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation Fire Department dispatched two water tenders along with personnel equipped with breathing apparatus to the site. Employees of Orange City Water (OCW) were also called in, and a team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was deployed at the site.
The joint rescue operation concluded around 5:30 AM after the intensity of the leakage decreased. Emergency personnel from the NDRF, Fire Department, and OCW successfully moved the 900-kg chlorine cylinder and submerged it into a water tank containing a caustic soda solution to neutralise the toxic gas safely.
A month ago, in a separate incident, at least 14 women workers were hospitalised following an ammonia gas leak at a meat processing plant in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur district on July 22, officials said.
The incident occurred at around 1 pm at ALM Industries Limited, located within the Gagalheri police station jurisdiction, where several women were engaged in packaging work. The sudden gas leakage triggered chaos and panic on the premises, causing several workers to suffer from breathing difficulties, anxiety, and dizziness, with a few fainting on the spot. (ANI)