Nagpur: Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP) has decided to stop using chlorine gas for water treatment at five plants and switch to bleaching powder. The decision follows an August 24 leak at the 6.5 MLD water treatment plant (WTP) in Godhani, which led to the hospitalisation of 59 residents of the adjoining Sakar Nagar locality.Confirming the development, MJP executive engineer Vidya Kande told TOI that chlorine gas usage had been discontinued at all five plants as a safety measure. Besides Godhani, MJP operates WTPs at Vena, Vardhamana and Nagalwadi, along with a peri-urban facility at Shankarpur. Officials said safety arrangements at all these sites would be reviewed.The Godhani incident has had a ripple effect elsewhere. Residents of Bokhara gram panchayat opposed the use of chlorine at their local plant, prompting MJP to switch to bleaching powder there as well.Officials acknowledged that bleaching powder contains only about 30% chlorine, raising doubts over whether it can match the treatment efficacy of gaseous chlorine — but said it would be used regardless, as a safety measure.The Godhani plant has not yet been formally handed over to the Nagar Panchayat. Locals have demanded that it be relocated outside the residential area, warning they will oppose its operation unless adequate safety measures are implemented.MJP officials said the plant was built under the Jal Jeevan Mission with the Godhani gram panchayat’s approval, and ruled out relocating it. Instead, the focus will be on strengthening safety protocols for WTPs situated near residential zones.Officials said an SOP for such plants is being drafted. CCTV cameras and round-the-clock security guards are planned at all WTPs to improve surveillance and emergency preparedness. Employee training programmes will also be conducted, with particular emphasis on chlorine handling and emergency response to gas leaks.The episode has brought chlorine-handling safety at rural WTPs under sharper scrutiny. While MJP’s immediate response is to replace gaseous chlorine with bleaching powder at vulnerable sites, it is simultaneously working on an SOP, staff training and stronger security measures. For Godhani’s residents, though, the deeper concern remains the plant’s location within a residential neighbourhood — an issue that has only intensified since the leak and the subsequent evacuation.
