Another side of industrial growth in India: Environmental damage from industrial accidents

Abstract

Environmental damages from man-made hazards like industrial accidents in India have increased in the last decade (2010–2020) which poses a risk to the sustainable industrial development of the nation. This study examines industrial accidents with collateral damage to the environment over a ten-year period from 2010 to 2020. The objective is to understand whether India is normalizing environmental damage from industrial accidents as a side-effect of economic growth. This paper seeks to understand the characteristics and response to industrial accidents with adverse impact on the environment. Using content analysis, we created a unique database of industrial accidents with reported environmental damage using multiple data sources like international disaster database: EM-DAT, Indian media reports, independent disaster reports, Indian government evaluation reports of accidents and company reports. Industrial accidents are categorised by their year of occurrence, the state in India where the accident occurred, accident type, human impact, environmental impact, industry type, ownership of the organisation and the response from society stakeholders. We use the concept of risk society to understand the complex ways the discourse on industrial disasters is shaped and contextualise the findings in the broader development narrative. Our results suggest 560 industrial accidents have occurred with reported environmental damage from 2010 to 2020. Environmental damage was mostly in form of air pollution and water pollution. About 2,500 human lives have been lost and another 8,500 injured during the said period. Based on qualititive and quantitive analysis, we find that Indian states’ industrial profile is related to the number of industrial accidents but find no relationship between the number of accidents and the society’s response. The way forward is to encourage policymakers to ensure that companies, as part of their investment criteria, do the following: spell out appropriate safety measures; take concrete steps to engage in community awareness of the risks involved in the organizations’ operations; and, take responsibility for human and environmental damage in the event of an accident. To reduce the build-up of risk from industrial growth, maintaining and updating a national level database on the environmental damage from industrial accidents is essential. Such a database will also help signal India’s efforts to ensure sustainable manufacturing growth.