Mundathikode fireworks accident site turns toxic hotspot

The fireworks blast site at Mundathikode. | Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO

The presence of hazardous heavy metals in the topsoil at the Mundathikode fireworks accident site has prompted demands for its immediate removal, amid concerns that the contaminants could leach into nearby water sources and pose health risks.

K. Radhakrishnan, MP, has written to Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan and the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change seeking urgent intervention to remove and safely dispose of the contaminated soil.

The April 21 fireworks accident, which claimed 17 lives, occurred in an area surrounded by paddy fields, waterbodies, houses and wells. Subsequent tests conducted by the State Pollution Control Board (PCB) reportedly detected chromium, copper, vanadium and cyanide at levels exceeding permissible limits in the soil at the site.