• A bigger disaster waiting to happen?

After five months, a factory located at the Homagama Industrial Estate in Katuwana has once again caused health hazards to workers in adjacent factories and shops, after bursts of fumes generated heavy smog in the area last week.

“This is the same factory where fires broke out twice in August 2023, causing property damage to an adjacent factory. On 7 January at around 8 p.m., just as I was about to close my shop and return home, I smelled fumes,” said 60-year-old Ramya Kumari, the proprietor of Sumihiri Hotel, a food shop opposite the factory, speaking to The Sunday Morning.

According to Kumari, due to the torrential rains and gusty winds, the fumes had started to spread across the area instantly, and had covered the area with smog.

“We are told that this factory processes chlorine and that when the chlorine comes into contact with rain water, it results in fumes due to the chemical reaction. The adjoining factory fire unit managed to get rid of the fumes that were spreading towards their factory as soon as the incident took place. When the Fire Department arrived, about two hours had passed. There was no fire, but the firefighters said they used oxygen to get rid of the fumes emanating from the factory building,” Kumari elaborated.

The Homagama Police and the Medical Officer of Health in Homagama had advised everyone in the area to wear face masks, not to consume water from open wells, and for those experiencing breathing difficulties to seek medical attention.

The only recorded casualty, according to the Homagama Hospital, on the night of 7 January, was a security officer who had been on duty at an adjacent factory. He had been admitted to the Homagama Hospital after complaining about breathing difficulties.

The 2023 fires

In 2023 following the fires that took place at the same premises on two occasions, the findings from the Central Environment Authority (CEA) Investigations Unit had noted that the business entity had not obtained an Environmental Protection Licence (EPL) for the premises.

This newspaper’s daily edition published an article titled ‘CEA to sue unlicensed, fire-gutted chemical factory’ on 22 August 2023, in which the CEA Media Spokesperson had indicated that, following the findings of the comprehensive inspection report, the CEA Legal Division would file a case against the factory.

In August 2023 a total of seven fire engines had been dispatched from the fire brigades of the Horana and Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte Municipal Councils, along with assistance from the Homagama Police and Army personnel to douse the fire. Although the fire had broken out on 17 August 2023, the firefighting teams had to continue their efforts till mid-morning on 18 August due to chemical combustions within the factory premises following the fire.

Chemical stench in the air

Even while we were speaking to Kumari, we noticed that the fumes were still present in the air, as our eyes started to itch, leading us to question area inhabitants’ hesitancy to wear face masks, as instructed by health authorities and the area Police.

Kumari explained: “When I open my shop, I prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner for its patrons. It is cumbersome to be wearing a face mask throughout the day, given the climatic conditions.”

With the area experiencing torrential rains coupled with strong winds over the last few days, there is a health threat to those who are exposed to the fumes for a prolonged period. However, as we drove past the factory in question, none of the security guards or other workers in the vicinity were seen adhering to the health guideline of wearing face masks to minimise the inhalation of fumes.

Well-organised firefighting

As we drove to the back entrance of the damaged factory, the stench of the fumes became very strong. We stopped near an adjacent factory to speak to one of the workers, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity.

“While the fire trucks drove in on 7 January, we saw about 10 sand tippers also arrive. They were parked close by and the entry points leading to the damaged factory were closed off to contain the fumes. By morning the sand tippers left as there was no danger of a fire breaking out, but we saw one sand tipper entering and then the Fire Brigade was seen dumping sand to control the fumes.”

According to the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) Environmental Studies and Services Division, the unit gets involved in managing disaster risks that arise due to incidental fires relating to the chemical industry within the country. When chemical fires erupted at the factory in August 2023 on two separate occasions on 8 and 17 August 2023, the post-incident analysis of the cause of the fire indicated the use of flammable and volatile chemicals with low flash points as raw materials in the manufacturing processes.

NBRO Environmental Studies and Services Division Civil Engineer W.K.N. Chandrasena, explaining the dangers of getting exposed to chemical fire-generated fumes, stated: “The main danger from smoke is reduced visibility. Smoke, toxic gases, and vapours generated during a fire are responsible for harmful effects such as respiration difficulties and mild irritation of the eyes, nose, and skin.”

NBRO and chemical fires

As a multi-disciplinary technical service provider functioning under the Disaster Management Division of the Ministry of Defence, the NBRO is contacted by the CEA and the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) in the event an incident relating to chemical combustions takes place.

The NBRO then deploys a team headed by the Director of the Environmental Studies and Services Division to the location to monitor gas concentrations to identify the risk levels to the safety of surrounding communities and reports to the relevant authorities and responsible institutions for immediate action to save lives and safeguard the livelihoods of vulnerable people.

According to Chandrasena, incidents relating to chemical combustion provide a better understanding of the progress made towards improving hazard standards to effectively mitigate chemical fires in line with international standards of chemical fire safety and emergency response protocols.

Such incidents also emphasise on the need for a national chemical emergency coordinating structure, including appropriately trained staff with the right knowledge and skills for dealing with all stages of the disaster cycle.

Watercare to release media statement 

When The Sunday Morning inquired about the name of the company to which the storage facility belonged, Kumari, along with other workers at the neighbouring factories and storage facilities, confirmed that it belonged to Watercare Technologies Ltd. 

When we stopped at the Sumihiri Hotel to speak to Kumari, she noted that the head office/corporate office of Watercare Technologies was located on a different plot of land.

The Sunday Morning then contacted Watercare Technologies General Manager Neelaka Karunarathne for comment on the incident and the next steps that the company would be taking to ensure no further fires or fumes would occur.

“We were contacted by several media institutions for comment, however we have not issued a formal statement at the moment as investigations are still ongoing into the incident that took place last Sunday night at our storage facility. Following consultations with our Board of Directors, we will be releasing a media statement shortly,” Karunarathne explained.

Meanwhile, attempts by The Sunday Morning to contact CEA Director General Hemantha Jayasinghe regarding steps taken during the previous incidents in August 2023 and on whether there had been an oversight that led to this month’s chemical fume incident proved futile.