5 September, 2011, Valsad: A chlorine gas leak at around 7.30 a.m. on 29 August, 2011, from Makewell Plasticisers Pvt Ltd in Valsad sent more than 30 people, including a 9 month child, to the hospital. The company manufactures chlorinated paraffins, and employs around 170 people. Many workers were hospitalised too, but no details are available about them. The owner of the neighbouring unit, Best Paper Mills, has filed an FIR at the local police station.
The victims, including three children in the 7-8 age group, complained of burning sensation in the eyes, cough, nausea and anxiety. One woman was reportedly given three bottles of blood. Vegetation in the vicinity of the plant too has suffered. Many fruit trees of mango, papaya, almond, santoor lost their leaves. Paddy in the nearby fields too have been damaged. The Police have conducted an inspection of the damaged vegetation at the insistence of villagers who visited the Police Station in force. The Gujarat Pollution Control Board has not taken any action.
The Department of Industrial Health & Safety has issued a closure notice to the company.
Reported by Manisha Goswami, MASS, Valsad, Gujarat