To prevent recurrence of any Mayapuri-type radiation leak, the Delhi Government will soon procure sophisticated equipment to scan vulnerable areas where such exposure may take place.
Delhi’s environment secretary Dharmendra said his department has also completed screening of all the scrapyards in the city following radiation leak at the scrap market in Mayapuri in northwest Delhi in April that left one person dead and seven seriously injured.
He added that the environment department will soon launch global tenders for procuring latest equipment to track radioactive material at scrap markets and other vulnerable areas. The radioactive leak at the Mayapuri scrap market had raised serious question mark over the safety norms being adopted by educational institutions and hospitals while disposing of such materials. Radioactive material Cobalt-60 auctioned by the Delhi University had found ways to the scrap market. “We have taken the incident very seriously. We have already completed a survey of all the scrapyards across the city and measures are being taken in consultation with Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) to ensure that such an incident do not happen in future,” said Dharmendra.
Te Delhi government was procuring radiation detection equipment to step up monitoring in scrap markets, he said.
Meanwhile, officials also added that the Delhi government was also contemplating making it mandatory for scrap dealers to register with the environment department.