35 Hospitalised After Effluent Plant Tank Explodes in Cuddalore SIPCOT

Chemical-laced Wastewater Floods 50 Houses, Over 100 People Report Eye and Skin Irritation

- BAGALAVAN PERIER B @Cuddalore

An explosion in the effluent treatment plant (ETP) tank of Loyal Super Fabrics, a dyeing unit at the SIPCOT industrial estate near Kudikadu village, Cuddalore, caused chemical-laced wastewater to flood nearly 50 houses of a nearby residential area around midnight on Wednesday and led to wall collapse in three houses, sources said. Over 100 people reported eye and skin irritation and respiratory trouble. Of them, 35 have been admitted to the Cuddalore Government Hospital, sources said. Others were treated as outpatients.

According to sources, the six-lakh-litre-capacity tank burst with a loud noise, prompting the workers to flee.