Kerala govt to set up remote sensing online system to prevent industrial accidents

New Delhi, 14 June (KNN) To make industries safer and less hazardous for residents in neighborhood along with the factory workers, the Kerala Government is establishing a Remote Sensing enabled Online Chemical Emergency Response System (ROCERS).

Kochi has a number of hazardous chemical factories and to support the operations of the Chemical Emergency Response Centre, ROCERS has been designed. The system is equipped with space based technologies with information and communication technology to provide possible time of disaster monitoring and its analysis for chemical emergency management.

In this regard, the Director of Factories and Boilers, P. Pramod has signed the memorandum of understanding with B. Venketraman, Senior Vice President of Prodair Air Products, and Vinod M. Bothale, Director of HSE, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), earlier this week.

While briefing on this occasion, T.P. Ramakrishnan, Labour Minister of Kerala said, “To keep an eye on the operations of chemical industries and prevention of accidents, ROCERS would help."

On July 6, 2004 a massive fire incident took place in an Insecticides Factory in Eloor, Kerala. The Eloor Industrial Area hosts about 250 industries of which there are more than a dozen large chemical factories. Massive fire in the factory in Eloor, Kerala burns down Endosulfan plant. Hundreds of people living around face severe health problems.

Entire Eloor came under influence of toxic gases and smoke and Pallipurachal and Chowka North End also suffered from the same. It affected hundreds of people.

To prevent such incidents in future, the Department of Factories and Boilers has tied up with the National Remote Sensing Centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) for chemical crisis management.