District Collector N.S.K. Umesh has called upon the departments concerned to be ready for disaster mitigation in the event of an emergency.
He was addressing a tabletop meeting as a prelude to the proposed chemical mock drill to be organised under the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA).
The meeting discussed the responsibilities of various departments, including the police, Fire and Rescue Services and Health.
Later, a delegation led by Deputy Collector (DDMA) V.A. Abbas visited the site of the proposed drill. The drill will be held near the Kochi Refineries on Wednesday at 2 p.m. An emergency siren will be sounded on the day. Officials asked the public not to turn panic on hearing it.
The district is considered home to 20 major accident hazard units, including oil and petroleum storage installations, liquefied petroleum gas bottling plants, refineries, petrochemical units, and liquefied natural gas installations. The possibility of chemicals getting leaked in large quantities from these industries remains very high. Industry-based drills are being organised to ensure the safety of employees and society in the event of an emergency.
