THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The ongoing official investigation into the June 20 explosion at the Moolamattam power station has more or less confirmed, what has thus far remained a very strong suspicion; that it was an accident waiting to happen.While the KSEB appointed committee is yet to submit its report, highly placed KSEB officials privy to the investigation proceedings told Express that the findings so far bolster the media's take on the issue as well as charges, levelled by the KSEB unions. Outdated machinery, inexperienced staff and inadequate safety measures contributed to the fire and explosion and the deaths of engineers Merin Isaac and K S Prabha."A periodical safety audit is lacking here. The accident occurred because of an explosion in a 25yearold equipment.It was an oil-filled one and therefore inflammable. But the authorities never thought of the consequences of keeping oil-filled equipment in this major underground power station," an official said on condition of anonymity.There are more equipment at Moolamattam containing combustible or hazardous fluids which require urgent replacement, it is understood. Some transformers are filled with the chemical 'Clophen,' which, if it leaks, can prove hazardous to health and can cause diseases such as cancer.
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