Guwahati refinery conducts offsite disaster mock drill to test emergency preparedness

Guwahati Refinery, under the guidance of the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), Kamrup (Metro), conducted an offsite Disaster Mock Drill on March 12, to assess the effectiveness of its emergency response and preparedness in handling offsite disaster situations.

The drill was based on a simulated scenario involving oil carryover and a subsequent fire in a stormwater channel outside the refinery due to Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) API overflow during heavy rainfall. A field operator first detected oil in an open channel and immediately alerted the Shift-in-Charge, who then informed the Fire & Safety (F&S) team and Refinery Shift Manager (RSM).

To contain the situation, sluice gates were closed to prevent further oil escape, and sandbags were placed to block the flow. The Fire & Safety team applied foam over the accumulated hydrocarbons in the drain to prevent a fire outbreak within the refinery premises.

Despite initial containment measures, a fire broke out when a passing vehicle’s exhaust spark ignited the spilled oil. The flames quickly spread along the open storm water channel outside the southern boundary of Guwahati Refinery. The Chief Incident Controller immediately consulted the District Authority, leading to the declaration of an Offsite Disaster (Level-III emergency).

The State Fire Services and Mutual Aid partners were swiftly mobilized to contain the fire outside the refinery. Emergency response teams, under district authority directives, effectively tackled the crisis using oil-soaking boom barriers, absorbents, MOSRU, and super suckers to remove floating oil from affected areas.

Once the fire was successfully controlled, the All Clear siren was sounded, signaling the completion of the drill. A debriefing session followed, chaired by Sunil Kanti, Executive Director & Refinery Head, Guwahati Refinery, and Kaustav Talukdar, District Project Officer, DDMA. Senior officials from Guwahati Refinery, Pollution Control Board of Assam (PCBA), State Police, District Health Services, NDRF, SDRF, Civil Defence, Indian Army, Railways, Inspectorate of Factories, PESO, IndianOil AOD, GSPL, and Noonmati Police were also present.

During the review, Kaustav Talukdar emphasized the need for workshops to familiarize stakeholders with refinery installations and operations, ensuring better preparedness for real emergencies. Sunil Kanti commended the participants for the successful execution of the drill and stressed the importance of incorporating key observations and suggestions to further enhance emergency response strategies.