Pune: Ammonia Gas Leak Emergency Drill Tests Readiness of Kurkumbh Industrial Area
Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Daund, 6th October 2026: A joint emergency response drill was successfully conducted at the Kurkumbh Industrial Area in Daund taluka on Tuesday to assess the preparedness, coordination and response capabilities of industrial units, government agencies, police, fire services, medical teams and local authorities during a potential industrial emergency.
The drill, conducted under the guidance of Joint Director Sudhir Shinde, simulated an ammonia gas leak from a tanker transporting ammonia near the Goodluck Chowk area. The exercise included mock rescue operations, first aid, evacuation of injured persons, firefighting, traffic management, securing the affected area and shifting residents to safe locations.
Four people were shown as injured as part of the simulated emergency. The participating teams reached the spot within the prescribed time and carried out the planned response using respiratory protection equipment, safety teams, first-aid teams, firefighting personnel, ambulances and traffic control systems.
Clean Fino Chem Ltd, Alkyl Amines, Cipla, Eternis, Emcure, Honor Lab, Cargill, Henkel, Harmony Organics Pvt Ltd and other industrial establishments from the Kurkumbh industrial area actively participated in the exercise.
The Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health, Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), fire services and other local authorities played key roles in planning and conducting the drill.
A review meeting and debriefing session was held after the exercise in the presence of representatives of the participating departments and industrial establishments. The participants reviewed the response during the drill and discussed measures to improve preparedness, coordination and communication systems for handling future emergencies.
Deputy Director of the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health Ankush Kharade and Regional Officer Hanumant Patil said that the availability of equipment and manpower alone is not sufficient to effectively deal with an industrial emergency. They emphasised the need for quick decision-making, effective communication, coordination among agencies and regular drills.
They said such joint exercises help strengthen preparedness and minimise the potential loss of life and property during an actual emergency.
District Disaster Management representative Vitthal Banote, officers of the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health Pravin Patil, Vishnu Sangolkar, Mahendra Sawant and Vinod Madurkar, MIDC Executive Engineer Vijay Petkar, Daund police Assistant Police Inspector Gawali, fire service personnel, medical teams, local administration officials and representatives of various industrial establishments participated in the drill.
Officials said the exercise was completed successfully with active participation, coordination and prompt response from the participating agencies and industrial establishments.
