Steps being taken for 24-hr crisis service
Guyana Water Inc (GWI) CEO Karan Singh yesterday confirmed that there was a chlorine leak at the Shelter Belt on July 27 due to damaged tubing and acknowledged that the public should not have been kept in the dark about the matter.
At a press conference hosted at his office following a report on the incident in yesterday’s edition of Stabroek News, Singh acknowledged that GWI should have informed the public about the issue. He said too that he had taken a decision not to do so because the media tended to sensationalize issues, a charge he levelled at the Stabroek News (SN) for its coverage of the leak. The CEO said he did not want what he thought was a small matter to be blown out of proportion. He then told the press conference that he thought that the SN reporter should have made attempts to contact him. This reporter then asked him to check with his secretary on the numerous attempts that had been made to contact him. His secretary duly confirmed at the press conference that the reporter had made numerous attempts to reach him.
Singh said around 3 am on July 27 he received a phone call informing him of the leak. He said he then contacted two directors in charge of operations who then alerted the supervising officer at Shelter Belt. Checks were made and the gas was immediately turned off. Singh said according to reports he received the operators who were on duty that night may have been asleep, though he said the report is still inconclusive as he has since “challenged certain aspects of it.” He said he intends to ascertain where the operators were at the time of the incident as had they been in the room at the said time they could have died. Singh surmised that they had not been in the room as no attempt had been made to use any of the safety gear available to tackle the leak. Disciplinary action may be taken against the officers if further investigations reveal any negligence on their part, Singh said.
Meanwhile, it has been determined that the chlorine had leaked from a crack which had developed in the copper tubing. The chlorine had been seeping out in small amounts which is why limited damage had been done, Singh said. He said he visited the affected residents and had spoken to two persons who had evacuated their homes. The CEO said he advised the residents to make precautionary checks with a doctor and assured them that the company would stand any expenses if any medical complications ensued. At the same time, he said it was fortunate that no one had reported suffering any ill effects. Singh said a few days later he learnt that the gas had travelled farther to Eping Avenue, though he had only received one complaint from that area. He said that GWI would be switching to liquid chlorine which is safer.
As regard reports that there was no response to GWI’s emergency number when residents called, Singh said that no one is available to answer the number after 6 pm. However, systems are being put in place for the security team to answer emergency calls 24 hours per day and report to officials for whom they have cell phone numbers. The emergency number is 231-5106. Singh went on to say that this incident is one of the reasons the company does not appreciate that residential areas border its operations. He said over time incidents such as these would occur; though the workers take every precaution to ensure safety is maintained. The CEO contended that the area around the treatment plant should have remained a state reserve.
As regard reporting the matter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Singh said that he had seen no reason to do so, since no injuries had been reported and there were no legal implications. He said too the EPA had not contacted GWI on it. EPA Executive Director Doerga Persaud had told this newspaper that the agency would contact GWI for a full report on the matter and it would determine whether it had been handled in an environmentally sound manner. Persaud had also said that he was surprised that GWI had not reported the matter due to its seriousness.
Stabroek News learnt of the chlorine leak when a Bel Air resident called to register displeasure with the manner in which the matter was handled. One woman who called this newspaper on Thursday said that the “casual approach” with which the situation was treated is not acceptable. Further, she opined that persons should have been evacuated when the incident occurred and health officers brought in to ensure it was safe for them to return to their homes.
Stabroek News Editor Anand Persaud said there was nothing remotely sensational about the way the newspaper had reported on the matter in Thursday’s edition and it was disgraceful that the utility had not responded to the newspaper’s requests for full disclosure on the matter. Persaud said that any release of chlorine from the installation was a serious matter and GWI had clearly opted to cover the matter up instead of making a full disclosure and publicizing the measures it was taking to redress the situation.
