The district administration of Dhanbad has intensified rescue, relief and technical assessment after a toxic gas leak in Rajput Basti under the Kenduadih colliery belt left two women dead and forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents, officials familiar with the matter said on Saturday.
Dhanbad deputy commissioner (DC) Aditya Ranjan said the administration is treating the situation with the “highest urgency”, with coordinated multi-agency action underway. “Our teams are continuously monitoring the site, reviewing evacuation needs and ensuring medical support. The safety of residents is our top priority,” the DC told reporters.
Ranjan further said evacuation efforts have been stepped up, with 400 residents shifted till Saturday to safer locations. “Evacuation preparations have been intensified. Camps must be set up in affected bastis to conduct rapid surveys so that we know exactly how many families need shifting,” Ranjan said, adding that families willing to relocate will be moved to Belgadia or Karmatand Township. Many residents were shown options at Belgadia Township on Thursday.
According to officials, teams from the coal ministry, Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) and the district administration remained on the ground through Saturday to prevent further casualties.
In a high-level meeting held at Kenduadih, the DC reviewed the causes of the leak, containment strategies and evacuation plans with the BCCL CMD and technical experts. “Experts informed that gas is escaping from both sides of the settlements and the highway, advising that vehicles move slowly and that nearby habitations be emptied at the earliest,” an official said. The DC directed the disaster management officer to request an NDRF expert team for assessment formally and instructed officials to alert the National Highways Authority to an immediate structural and safety study.
A second official familiar with the matter said a team of experts recorded carbon monoxide (CO) concentration at up to 1,500 parts per million (PPM)—around 30 times higher than the permissible limit, noting that harmful exposure begins at 50 PPM. Headache appears when the level reaches 200 PPM, and symptoms like dizziness, nausea and unconsciousness begin at 800 PPM, an expert said.
According to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), the permissible limit for CO is 2 mg/m3 for an eight-hour average in residential areas and 4 mg/m3 for a one-hour average, a Ranchi-based environmentalist said. “The 1,500 ppm CO concentration is dangerously high for human survival,” the environmentalist said, refusing to be quoted.
A district-level inquiry committee, led by additional collector Vinod Kumar, conducted a detailed inspection of Rajput Basti, Naya Dhowra, Masjid Mohalla and other affected pockets. Officials said the committee interacted extensively with residents to understand how the leak started, what health issues emerged and how relief efforts have progressed so far.
“The team also visited Kustaur Regional Hospital and met patients undergoing treatment due to gas exposure. Medical officers briefed the team on available facilities and ongoing care. Members from the disaster management unit, mining office, labour department, revenue branch and local police accompanied the inspection,” an official said.
Following the emission of suspected poisonous gas on Wednesday, two women allegedly died while 20 others fell sick in different locations of the three areas. Officials identified the deceased women as Lalita Devi (65) and Priyanka Devi (49), both residents belonging to daily wage-earning families. The exact cause of the women’s death is yet to be ascertained and can only be confirmed after the postmortem report, officials added.
With PTI inputs
