Gandhinagar, May 15 (IANS) A day after three migrant workers died and one was critically injured following a suffocation incident inside an underground effluent treatment plant (ETP) tank at an industrial unit in the Saij Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) area of Kalol in Gandhinagar district, police said on Friday.

The incident occurred at the Mafatlal Gujarat Industries Limited, Unit C/15 to C/18, where tarpaulin fabric processing work is carried out and wastewater generated from colouring activity is treated through an effluent treatment system.

According to the police, cleaning work was being undertaken in a reinforced cement concrete (RCC) underground tank used for treating coloured wastewater.

Prior to the operation, water had been pumped out using a motor, but nearly 1 to 1.5 feet of sludge and waste material remained at the bottom of the tank.

The incident was reported by Dalpat Chai, 56, a supervisor at the unit, originally from Sirohi district in Rajasthan and residing within the facility premises at GIDC area of Kalol.

He told authorities that workers had entered the tank for cleaning.

As per the complaint registered under Section 194 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) at Kalol Taluka Police Station, the cleaning process involved workers entering the confined space sequentially using an iron ladder, with plastic containers tied to ropes.

Police said the first two workers to enter the tank were Amit Parihar (32), hailing from Datia district in Madhya Pradesh; and Amarkumar Shrivastav (37), hailing from Faizabad district in Uttar Pradesh.

Both reportedly became unconscious shortly after entering, allegedly due to suffocation caused by oxygen deficiency or the presence of toxic gases.

In an attempt to rescue them, Anil Lodhi, who was part of the cleaning team, entered the tank but also lost consciousness inside.

Shivnath Dubey, 44, also from Uttar Pradesh’s Faizabad district, subsequently entered the tank in another rescue attempt and similarly became unconscious.

All four individuals were eventually pulled out of the tank.

Police confirmed that Amit, Amarkumar and Shivnath were declared dead, while Anil was shifted for medical treatment and remains under observation.

Police said the sequence of events indicates that each person entered the confined space in an attempt to rescue those who had already collapsed.

Preliminary assessment suggests the incident may have been caused by suffocation due to toxic gas accumulation or low oxygen levels inside the tank.

The exact cause will be determined after forensic examination.

Kalol Taluka Police have registered a case of accidental death and initiated further investigation.

Teams from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) have been asked to examine the site and test for the presence of hazardous gases and other contributing factors within the ETP tank.

Officials are also examining whether appropriate safety measures and protective equipment, including gas masks and oxygen support systems, were provided to workers before they entered the confined space for cleaning operations.

–IANS

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