The airspace over Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemical Limited (MRPL) in Kuthethoor is yet to be declared as a no-fly zone.
The Thumbe water pumping station, which stocks a good amount of chlorine, does not have a standard emergency management plan.
These two issues figured in the meeting of the District Disaster Management Authority meeting chaired by the Deputy Commissioner A.B. Ibrahim here on Wednesday. Deputy Director of Factories and Boilers K.G. Nanjappa expressed the need to declare the air space over the MRPL unit as a no-fly zone to prevent any disaster in the MPRL plant in case of flight accident. To this, a representative from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) at Mangalore International Airport said though no aircraft fly over the MRPL establishment it was yet not declared as the no-fly zone. Some helicopters fly over the MRPL establishment, he said. Officials from the MRPL and the AAI said they had requested the Union government to declare the air space as no-fly zone.
No on site emergencyMr. Nanjappa, who is also the Member Secretary of District Crisis Group, said the Mangalore City Corporation had not submitted on-site emergency plan for the Thumbe water pumping station, which lifts drinking water to the city from the Nethravati, which is among four potentially hazardous units in the district.
The pumping station that stocks 900 kg of chorine for treating water lacks mechanism to address possible leakage of chlorine.
Mr. Ibrahim directed a MCC official to submit the on-site emergency plan within two weeks.
Relaxation:
In another meeting on Coastal Regulatory Zone, Mr. Ibrahim asked the Regional Director (Environment), CRZ, Chittaranjan K.P., to place before the Centre a proposal seeking relaxations in the CRZ for Dakshina Kannada on the lines given to Kerala and Goa. Mr. Ibrahim said the coastline in Dakshina Kannada, which was extension of coastline of Kerala, needs to get relaxations, namely allowing temporary structures along the beach.
