Dehradun Chlorine Gas Leak Triggers Breathing Issues, Residents Evacuated

A chlorine gas leak was reported in the Jhanjra area of Prem Nagar police station in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, on Tuesday (morning). This triggered panic among residents who complained of breathing difficulties, according to Hindustan Times. The residents of the area were immediately evacuated and were taken to a safe place, according to officials.

According to Ajay Singh, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in Dehradun, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other security forces rushed to the spot upon receiving information about the incident. "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," Singh said, as quoted by news agency ANI.

Sahaspur MLA Sahdev Singh Pundir mentioned that seven cylinders of chlorine had been kept at an empty plot in the area for quite some time. Further, he added, "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," reported ANI. There are no reports of casualties, as stated by the police. Notably, a similar incident occurred in 2017 when over 15 people were hospitalized after chlorine gas leaked from the water supply centre of Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan (UJS).