Poison Harnessed

"You only live twice:
Once when you're born
And once when you look death in the face.”
― Ian Fleming, You Only Live Twice

It was 8 PM of 21^st.October,2000. Durga Puja, the biggest festival of East India was at its peak as it was the seventh day of Navaratri. However, in Ranchi the gaiety was somewhat marred by incessant rain since last three days with a wind speed sometimes heightening to 100 KMH.   

The telephone rang. It was my Personal Officer. I was informed that there was a breach in the Phenol Pond and conveyance to fetch me would be reaching my residence any minute. I was at that time Chief of Safety, Health , Environment with additional charge of  Training and Fire Fighting Management of Foundry Forge Plant , the biggest unit of the Heavy Engineering Corporation.

At that period of time HEC was the biggest manufacturer of heavy machine and building starting from founding to finish machining. Cyclotron for Atomic Research and Launching Pads for Rockets were its latest achievements. Its coal based gas producer plant burnt  1 million Ton of coal every year to generate gas to its various units. Phenol water was the sweating of producer gas which dripped down after condensation  into the holding pits. Some of such poisonous phenol water which leaked on the 3 KM long wayside were diverted to a pond. Over last 40 years, such collection in the 40 million cubic feet capacity pond reached the brim.

Three days of incessant rains and high speed wind coupled with mouse holes into the banks had resulted in the breach at its weakest point. It was the utmost southern conic end of the triangular shaped pond. . Below some 20 feet downward there was 10 family strong village with their agricultural land. The place was around 2 Kms from my office building and had to be reached by jeep through the passage carved between foundry sand burden.

I along with the General Manager reached the spot at 8.40 and took stock of the situation. Poisonous Phenol Water was overflowing at the rate of 100 liters per minute. Since the top layer was sufficiently diluted with rain water, the poison content was down to 10% of the permissible limit.  We had to fill the broadening and deepening breach somehow within next 5 hours or the entire poisonous water would engulf the adjacent village. Though, the villagers could be evacuated within one hour, the problem was the agriculture field and the nearby Suvernrekha river.  At least 30 million cft of highly poisonous water would ruin the water body of the river killing aquatic life of any kind. It would make it unusable unless its banks were thoroughly cleaned which would take more than a year and huge manpower.

While returning back to my office, I assured the General Manager that we could manage the disaster. Since, it was Puja days and night shift only a handful of employees were on duty in emergency areas such as Producer Gas Plant, Steel Melting and the power generation. The only option left was to summon the fire fighting personnel that too only 50% of them so that the rest might be available for emergency attendance. I got  5 of them. I sent the Jeep and mustered five employees from the Safety Department who were available at their residence at that point of time. I sent the GM back to his home assuring that any untoward would be immediately informed.

Two young farmers came from the village to assist us of their own. I had 12 persons including me at the site. The bank was receiving phenol mist driven by 100+ KMH from the western side which led to the Cremation Ghats and the jungle. We were hearing jackal howls all the time. We had only three 3 battery torches with us. We had covered ourselves with rain coats but the face was itching with phenol mist all the time. Therefore , I asked everybody to keep their back towards the pond. This was going to the longest night of my on-duty life. Within the preceding hours, I had managed 5 shovels and 50 gunny bags. I left 5 persons behind to come with at least 200 more gunny bags from various units of the factory and bring with them some snacks and a container full with steaming tea. We  were ready to handle the situation by 10 PM.
The pathway above the pond was very slippery. Towards the pond side the bank was strengthened with concrete boulders at an elevation of 60 degrees. If anybody fell then there was no escape.  It was quick death with suffocation, inhalation and ingestion.  In the past, one person and three cows had lost their life.There would be no time for one to ascend the boulders in quick time or anybody to reach the drowning in quick time. The other side was quite merciful. 20 to 30 of 60 degree slope to the agricultural ground full of poisonous snakes sneaking around for mouses at the dead of night.

There was a truck load of waste sand at the SE corner of the pond which was to be the life line. Every 10 minutes 5 bags were being filled  and were being dumped into the breach which by that time was a gaping 20X15X10 with tapering 5ft deep.  We had two persons with 60 years of age due to retire within months. We had one person with cold and cough. And there was one who could not stand the howl of the jackals but was good for lighting our cigarettes and keeping us warm with tea.

We  were able to fill the breach and stop the overflow by 2.30PM. By that time our patrol team found two more spots which were vulnerable. Along with the existing one ,we also put sand bags to a height of 1 feet in all the three places to give the place the desired emergency strength. I telephoned the control room to inform the GM that the disaster had been managed.

The two retiring employees were suitable rewarded.  Thereafter, within a month, the pond was strengthened with a sand bag wall of 2 feet from all around.

The night long ordeal gave me time to think about the Phenol Pond. Later, I submitted a paper elaborating that during 40 years of its life, the pond must have received enough highly priced Creosat rich tarry residue which could be harvested gainfully. Till 2007, the pond yielded tarry residue to the tune of Rs. 20 million in 5 years. In the process the Phenol pond liquid level dropped to 50% rendering it quite safe from leak hazard.

Did I get any recognition ? I was given additional portfolio as a corporate Chief of HSE for all the three unit of the Corporation. Two years later, just after voluntary retirement I was declared  a Competent Person by the Inspectorate of Factories, Jharkhand . Thereafter, the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board  retained me as Consultant. 

But , that day , I lived twice.I  would like to live again.