(Author's note: One of the tanks mentioned in this report collapsed a week after publishing this story in The Pioneer. Two workers died while the tank was being calibrated before commissioning.)
The presence of fuel storage tanks in land leased by Cochin Port Trust has made Willingdon Island a ticking bomb – a bomb enlarging in size and effect day by day as more and more tanks are being set up, flouting all norms and challenging the oppositions put forward by Corporation of Cochin, Revenue Divisional Officer, District Collector, Department of Factories and Boilers and Fire Safety Controller.
There are 28 above-ground storage tanks and the rumour is that 90 more will be put up soon. These tanks violate the norms regarding proximity, fire safety, environmental safety, and above all endangers the life of around 1,500 residents of Vathuruthy, who live just 100 feet away from these tanks.
Leakage from one of the tanks last November caused a fire that needed 15 fire engines to douse it after one-and-a-half hours of strenuous efforts. Luckily for the Vathuruthy residents and students of Naval school, which is situated just 100 metres away, the fire did not spread to other tanks. Else the whole island would have been no more as there are eight petrol pumps within 200 metres of the storage tanks. These facts combined with the lack of equipment and facilities on the part of fire force to handle industrial mishaps translates to thousands losing their lives in the event of a fire or explosion.
In view of the high number of industries in Kochi, fire force officials of Kochi have been demanding high-tech equipment and chemicals to handle industrial mishaps for a long time. They also endorse the fact that Kochi would have a disaster to tell in future in the event of a fire or explosion in the industrial areas including Willingdon Island. R Prasad, divisional officer of fire force and secretary of Kerala Fire Force Officers Association, said “We do not have facilities to douse fires caused by chemicals. The fire due to benzene spillage in Willingdon Island lasted many hours because we didn’t have the right chemical compound to use. The fire was kept alive not by the spilled benzene, but by the vapours coming from it and we were helpless as we did not have the chemical compound to deal with vapours.”
Xavier Raju, a journalist residing in Vathuruty, said “Not only Vathuruthy residents and students of Naval school but the entire motorists in the adjacent highway along with the people there are at risk as the fuel pipelines are laid right below the roads and is seen jutting out in many places. A leak in any point of these pipelines will cause a calamity.”
Above-ground fuel-storage standards specify that a secondary containment and a secure six-foot fence or a well-ventilated building should be built using non-combustible material surrounding a storage tank to prevent pollution due to spillage or leakage from the tank. But the storage tanks in Willingdon Island are built within a few feet of each other without any secondary containment to prevent water and environmental pollution.
Even a small leak of one drop per second can result in the release of about 1,500 litres of fuel per year. A few litres of fuel in the ground water is enough to severely pollute drinking water. At low levels, fuel contaminants in water cannot be detected by smell or taste. Thus the seemingly pure water may be contaminated to the point of affecting human health.
Preventing tank spills and leaks is especially important because fuels like petrol and diesel can move rapidly through surface layers and into ground water. The time it takes for petroleum products to reach ground water also depend upon the type of soil. The more porous the soil (for example sands and gravels), the faster and higher the rate of pollution.
Petroleum spilling and leakage is a major hazard in a city like Kochi as the soil here is very porous, being a city residing at sea-level. Kochi is basically not a city suited for fuel storage tanks due to the high porosity and saline nature of the soil. But this does not stop port authorities from allowing more and more tanks to be set up in the city, right beside civilian centres.
The saline and corrosive nature of the soil in Kochi is enough reason for removing fuel storage tanks from here. Highly corrosive clays, wet soils and acidic soils can significantly increase the rate of corrosion of underground pipes. AG Kora, geologist at Department of Mining and Geology, said “The chances of petroleum spills reaching and polluting ground water is high in porous soil and the soil in Willingdon Island is semi-porous, (a type of soil in which petroleum easily spreads through surface layers).” Currently, the fuel arriving in ships at Cochin Port is transferred to the storage tanks via underground metal pipes passing right below the highway. These pipes will corrode soon and will cause disasters in Kochi.
Porous soil also lacks stability, which causes the tanks to lose the balance and cause them to bend or lean and thereby cause spillage. TR Sanu, a resident of Vathuruthy and convener of Willingdon Island Action Council, said “We strongly suspect that low-quality material was used to build the tanks as is evident from tanks leaning like the tower of Pisa.”Another hazard from petroleum leakage is risk of cancer. Petroleum fuels contain a number of potentially toxic compounds, including common solvents such as benzene, toluene and xylene, as well as additives such as ethylene dibromide (EDB) and organic lead compounds. It is a proved fact that EDB and benzene can cause cancer in humans. The situation is made worse by the fact that the odor of EDB cannot be recognized until concentrations are much above the maximum level recommended in India.
