At least five employees of the STEM Water Plant were hospitalized after a chlorine gas leak at the plant near Sai Baba temple, under Shantinagar Police Station limits, early Monday at around 12:15 a.m.
The injured were identified as Akhilesh Mishra (watchman), Prakash Patil (chemist filter), Hrishikesh Mhatre (helper), Vipul Chaudhary (filter helper), and Jaywant Chaudhary (helper). Four of them were discharged after first aid, while one remains in the ICU.
According to police, the leak occurred when a pipeline attached to a chlorine cylinder ruptured during replacement. Chlorine spread rapidly across the plant and into nearby areas, causing residents to complain of breathing difficulties. The operator initially failed to control the leak and fled, before alerting other officials.
Later, another operator equipped with safety gear, including a mask and oxygen cylinder, entered the plant and shut off the leakage. Each chlorine cylinder at the plant weighs about 1,500 kg and contains around 900 kg of gas. Though the plant has an automatic safety system, it reportedly failed during the incident, said Senior Inspector Vinayak Gaikwad of Shantinagar Police Station.
STEM Water Plant supplies treated water to Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation, Thane Municipal Corporation, and Bhiwandi Nizampur City Municipal Corporation. The leak caused panic among residents of nearby buildings.
Police, fire department personnel, and senior civic officials rushed to the spot. The surrounding area was briefly evacuated, and a security cordon was set up to restrict traffic. Firefighters eventually brought the situation under control.
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