Chlorine gas leak sparks panic in Dehradun; residents complaining of breathing difficulties evacuated safely

A chlorine gas leak was reported on Tuesday morning from the Jhanjra area near Prem Nagar police station in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The incident caused panic among residents who experienced breathing difficulties. The authorities promptly shifted the residents to a safe location. 

“On receiving information about people facing difficulty in breathing due to leakage in the chlorine cylinder kept in the empty plot in the Jhanjra area of Prem Nagar police station in Dehradun, Police, NDRF, SDRF, and fire team reached the spot and are taking action for safe disposal,” said Ajay Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police, Dehradun. 

As per police reports no casualties have been reported so far. 

“There was a leakage and it could have turned into a big disaster, however, due to the coordinated efforts of the authorities the situation was managed,” said Sahdev Singh Pundir, the MLA of Sahaspur, who stated that seven cylinders of chlorine gas were kept in an empty plot for a while. 

In 2017, a similar incident had occurred where over 15 individuals were hospitalized owing to a chlorine gas leak from the water supply center operated by Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan.