What Was the Reason Behind Ludhiana Gas Leak?

11 people died due to Ludhiana gas leak in the Giaspura area of Ludhiana, Punjab. Any definitive reasons for the leak are not known so far. According to the in the air quality sensors used by National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team, high levels of Hydrogen Sulfide gas, a kind of neurotoxin, have been detected

Key Points On Ludhiana gas leak

• The Giaspura area of Ludhiana has several factories and is a thickly-populated area.
• It is suspected that poisonous gas may have emanated from a partially open manhole in the locality and spread to the shops and houses nearby
• The autopsy reports suggested that the deaths were due to “inhalation poisoning”.
• Forensic experts have suspected Hydrogen Sulfide – a neurotoxic gas – to be responsible for the tragedy.
• Hydrogen sulfide is so toxic that even one breath of it taken inside can kill a person.
• Probably some acidic waste was thrown into sewer which reacted with methane, carbon monoxide and other sewerage gases to produce hydrogen sulfide

What Are Neurotoxins Of Ludhiana gas leak?

Neurotoxic Gases

Common neurotoxic gases are:

• Methane
• Hydrogen sulfide
• Carbon monoxide and
• Carbon dioxide

Hydrogen sulfide

• It is is a chemical compound with the formula H2S.
• It is a colorless chalcogen-hydride gas.
• It is poisonous, corrosive, and flammable, with trace amounts in ambient atmosphere having a characteristic foul odour of rotten eggs.
• It is slightly denser than air. A mixture of H2S and air can be explosive.
• In general, hydrogen sulfide acts as a reducing agent.
• Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele is credited with having discovered the chemical composition of purified hydrogen sulfide in 1777.

Effects Of Hydrogen Sulfide

• It is toxic to humans and most other animals by inhibiting cellular respiration.
• When it is inhaled or its salts are ingested in high amounts, damage to organs occurs rapidly with symptoms ranging from breathing difficulties to convulsions and death.
• Despite this, the human body produces small amounts of this sulfide and its mineral salts, and uses it as a signaling molecule.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)

• The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is an Indian specialized force constituted “for the purpose of special response to a threatening disaster situation or disaster” under the Disaster Management Act, 2005
• The “Apex Body for Disaster Management in India is the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
• The Chairman of the NDMA is the Prime Minister.
• The ‘Nodal Ministry’ in the central government for management of natural disasters is the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
• The responsibility of managing disasters in India is that of the State Government.
• When ‘calamities of severe nature’ occur, the Central Government is responsible for providing aid and assistance to the affected state, including deploying, at the State’s request, of Armed Forces, Central Paramilitary Forces, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)

Roles And Responsibilities Of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)

The roles and responsibilities of the National Disaster Response Force include:

• Providing a timely and effective response to disasters and emergencies
• Carrying out rescue operations
• Providing humanitarian assistance during disasters
• Undertaking relief and rehabilitation measures in coordination with other agencies

Objectives Of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)

National Disaster Response Force has the following objectives:

• To provide National level assistance to the States/UTs in disaster
• To coordinate with other National and International agencies during disasters
• To undertake rescue and relief operations in disaster
• To provide medical assistance
• To provide logistic support to the States/UTs during a disaster
• To conduct search and rescue operations

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