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Editorial 2 p59

Editorial 2 p59 (Editorial) Avoiding another Jos-like gas leak disaster The comparatively fragile serenity in the Plateau State capital, Jos, was shaken by chlorine leakage…

Editorial 2 p59

(Editorial)

Avoiding another Jos-like gas leak disaster

The comparatively fragile serenity in the Plateau State capital, Jos, was shaken by chlorine leakage a fortnight ago in the town’s water treatment plant, causing 11 fatalities and affecting over 100 other residents in the area.

A similar accident occurred in the same facility in July 2013, when a cylinder containing chlorine delivered to the plant fell off from the vehicle conveying a consignment there, spilling its content into the environment, killing two persons and destroying a power transformer.

Chlorine is used to prevent bacteria from growing in water, as well as for sanitation for sewage and industrial waste. It is one of the major chemicals used in water purification process, as a disinfectant and bleach; but it is poisonous and irritating to the nose, throat, and lungs, when not combined with other substances in the process, and can cause suffocation.

Chlorine poisoning can occur when it is swallowed or inhaled. It reacts with water inside and outside of the body (such as the fluids in the digestive tract) to form hydrochloric acid. Both of these substances are extremely poisonous.

The Jos plant was opened in 1972 with capacity to produce 4.5 million gallons of water per day; but over the years, it was never expanded, or new ones built, to meet the needs of the growing population of the city, apart from the current one being in an obsolescent state, with mounting maintenance and overhead costs. It was commissioned at a time when the population was quite a distance from it, thereby minimising any effect of chemical blowouts on residents. A plan by the state government to construct a second plant was apparently discarded.

Chlorine used in the plant is supplied in large volumes by contractors, but due chiefly to lack of capacity and frequent breakdown of the treatment plant, the shelf life of most of the stockpiled supplies had expired, coupled with improper handling and storage.

The 2013 case was an example of poor handling and the non-compliance with safety rules and regulations expected of workers who deal with such dangerous substances.

The government didn’t waste much time in responding swiftly to the latest incident by empanelling a committee to investigate the cause of leakage. However, it seems clear that negligence and ignorance of safety regulations were part of it.

Officials of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), who inspected the accident site, decried the plant’s poor capacity to handle chemicals, and suggested the need to enhance this for staff members and for enlightenment campaigns targeted at residents to be wary of going to chemical storage facilities.

Before the panel submits its findings and recommendations, the government should consider the immediate relocation of either the plant or the community that may have encroached on the land of the plant since it was built. The government must ensure the safety of all chemical supplies before it takes further steps.

The situation at the Jos water treatment plant may not be different from what obtains in other treatment plants across the country; because no incident has been or recorded does not mean that it would never occur if strict maintenance procedure are not followed. The Jos accident should be wakeup invitation to look to their maintenance culture.

Most urgent of course would be deployment of experts to the Jos scene to find ways to stop the leakage which the NCDC said had not abated.

Public awareness on the leakage and its attendant consequences should also be stepped up. The details of the deaths associated with leakages at the plant so far showed that most of the victims were those who lived in the immediate vicinity of the plant.

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