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Mayapuri is an industrial locality in the West Delhi district of
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
, India. It used to be a major hub of heavy metal and small-scale industries, but following government sanctions, most of the heavy metal industries moved out. The place is now a combination of light metal factories, scrap markets, and automobile service stations. In 2010, a major radiation accident took place in the scrap yards of Mayapuri. There are some famous landmarks in the area like the
Food Corporation of India The Food Corporation of India (FCI) is a public sector company. It is under the ownership of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, formed by the enactment of Food Corporation Act, 1964 by the Parliament of India. Its t ...
, Metal Forging and Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital. The area is connected with
Delhi Metro The Delhi Metro is a rapid transit system that serves Delhi and the adjoining satellite cities of Faridabad, Gurugram, Noida, Bahadurgarh, and Ballabhgarh in the National Capital Region (India), National Capital Region of India. The system cons ...
by Mayapuri station. Mayapuri is also one of the major bus terminals for the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC).


2010 Mayapuri radiation accident

In early April 2010, Mayapuri was affected by a serious radiological accident. An
AECL Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL, Énergie atomique du Canada limitée, EACL) is a Canadian Crown corporation and the largest nuclear science and technology laboratory in Canada. AECL developed the CANDU reactor technology starting in the ...
Gammacell 220 research irradiator owned by
Delhi University The Delhi University (DU, ISO 15919, ISO: ), also and officially known as the University of Delhi, is a collegiate university, collegiate research university, research Central university (India), central university located in Delhi, India. It ...
since 1968, but unused since 1985, was negligently sold at an auction to a
scrap metal Scrap consists of recyclable materials, usually metals, left over from product manufacturing and consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap can have monetary value, especially recover ...
dealer in Mayapuri on 26 February 2010. The orphan source arrived at the scrap yard in Mayapuri during March, where it was dismantled by workers unaware of the hazardous nature of the device. The
cobalt-60 Cobalt-60 (Co) is a synthetic radioactive isotope of cobalt with a half-life of 5.2714 years. It is produced artificially in nuclear reactors. Deliberate industrial production depends on neutron activation of bulk samples of the monoisotop ...
source was cut into eleven pieces. The smallest of the fragments was taken by Ajay Jain, one of the dealers, who kept it in his wallet; two fragments were moved to a nearby shop; and the remaining eight remained in the scrap yard. Eight people were hospitalized in
All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi (AIIMS New Delhi), is a public medical research university and hospital in New Delhi, India. The institute is governed by the AIIMS Act, 1956 and operates autonomously under the Ministry of He ...
for radiation injuries, where one later died due to multi-organ failure. Police cordoned off the market and all ten 60Co sources were recovered by Atomic Energy Regulatory Board in mid-April and transported to Narora Atomic Power Station, where it was claimed that all radioactive material originally contained within the device was accounted for. The material remains in the custody of the Department of Atomic Energy. The event was rated level 4 out of 7 on the International Nuclear Events Scale. After the incident, AERB organized many awareness drives for Mayapuri scrap dealers broadly on the safety, legal and regulatory aspects while handling and disposal of radioactive materials. A year later,
Delhi Police The Delhi Police (DP) is the law enforcement agency for the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Delhi Police falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. In 2024, the sanctioned strength of Delhi Police w ...
charged six
Delhi University The Delhi University (DU, ISO 15919, ISO: ), also and officially known as the University of Delhi, is a collegiate university, collegiate research university, research Central university (India), central university located in Delhi, India. It ...
chemistry professors for negligent disposal of the radioactive device.


Metal recycling industry

One of the main businesses in Mayapuri is the recycling of metal scraps and sale of salvage vehicle parts. It is, arguably, the biggest market for used automotive and industrial spare parts in India. Many traders from all over India come here to sell or purchase old auto parts. Many small workshops specialised in different metals are active in the Mayapuri area. The safety of the scrap yards became a concern after the radiological accident which occurred in April 2010. The area is not equipped with radiation detectors or portals, despite being standard equipment in scrap yards and recycling facilities in the US and most European countries. The presence of toxic
heavy metals upright=1.2, Crystals of lead.html" ;"title="osmium, a heavy metal nearly twice as dense as lead">osmium, a heavy metal nearly twice as dense as lead Heavy metals is a controversial and ambiguous term for metallic elements with relatively h ...
and harmful chemicals in the waste generated by these activities threaten the health of several thousands of people living in the area.


Major landmarks

Mayapuri is home to the following key landmarks: * New Era Public School - popular school * Metal Forging - one of the oldest forging units *
Food Corporation of India The Food Corporation of India (FCI) is a public sector company. It is under the ownership of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, formed by the enactment of Food Corporation Act, 1964 by the Parliament of India. Its t ...
- government organization * India International Marketing Company * Swarg Ashram Mandir - temple


Surrounding areas

* Rajouri Garden * Naraina Vihar * Hari Nagar * Tilak Nagar * Delhi Cantt * Kirti Nagar


See also

* 1990 Clinic of Zaragoza radiotherapy accident * Acerinox accident *
Goiânia accident The Goiânia accident was a radioactive contamination accident that occurred on September 13, 1987, in Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil, after an unsecured radiation therapy, radiotherapy source was stolen from an abandoned hospital site in the city. ...
*
Ionizing radiation Ionizing (ionising) radiation, including Radioactive decay, nuclear radiation, consists of subatomic particles or electromagnetic waves that have enough energy per individual photon or particle to ionization, ionize atoms or molecules by detaching ...
* List of civilian radiation accidents *
Nuclear safety Nuclear safety is defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as "The achievement of proper operating conditions, prevention of accidents or mitigation of accident consequences, resulting in protection of workers, the public and the ...
* Nuclear whistleblowers * Orphan source * Radiation accident in Mexico City *
Radioactive scrap metal Radioactive scrap metal is created when radioactive material enters the metal recycling process and contaminates scrap metal. Overview A "lost source accident" occurs when a radioactive object is lost or stolen. Such objects may appear in the ...
* Radiotherapy accident in Costa Rica *
X-ray An X-ray (also known in many languages as Röntgen radiation) is a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than those of ultraviolet rays and longer than those of gamma rays. Roughly, X-rays have a wavelength ran ...


References


External links


The Hindu: lessons from Mayapuri


{{Neighborhoods of Delhi Cities and towns in West Delhi district Neighbourhoods in Delhi Radiation accidents and incidents