Panic has gripped the residents of Parakode and Ezhamkulam areas, near Adoor here, since wells and groundwater have been feared contaminated with sulphuric acid following an accident in which a speeding tanker lorry carrying the acid overturned on the road at Parakode a week ago.
The incident occurred in the early hours of November 7 and the acid that leaked out from the lorry had damaged the vegetation in the surrounding areas.
It took nearly five hours for the 25 teams of the Fire and Rescue Services to wash out the acid from the road by continuously spraying water.
The lorry was carrying sulphuric acid from Tuticorin to FACT (Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Ltd.) in Ernakulam. Seepage of the diluted acid deep into the ground has reportedly led to contamination of many wells in the vicinity. Local people complain of burning skin sensation after taking bath in the well water.
Disaster management team
A disaster management team, led by Kerala State Disaster Management Training Centre director Kesav Mohan, visited Parakode and Ezhamkulam on Sunday to take stock of the situation.
Chittayam Gopakumar, MLA; Laila Divakar, District Medical Officer; and K.P. Sasidharan Nair, Deputy Collector (Disaster Management), accompanied the team.
District Collector P. Venugopal visited the area on Saturday.
