HPCL works to recover cylinders after Maharashtra flood disrupts bottling plant

Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) is working to trace and recover around 3,000 LPG cylinders after monsoon floodwaters disrupted its bottling plant in Patalganga, near Panvel in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, officials said. The cylinders, some filled with gas and others empty, were swept into the nearby Patalganga River.

Videos of the cylinders floating downstream spread widely on social media, with some locals wading into the swollen river to try to retrieve them despite the fast current. The Raigad district administration has strongly advised against this, urging residents not to keep or attempt to use any cylinder they find.

Residents have instead been asked to hand over cylinders to HPCL, the nearest authorised HPCL distributor, or deposit them at the Tehsildar’s offices in Khalapur or Pen, or the Sub-Divisional Officer’s office in Pen. Raigad District Collector Kishan Jawale appealed to residents to stay away from any cylinders found in the river or washed ashore.

The incident has drawn attention to the vulnerability of industrial storage facilities to flooding, with the Raigad District Information Office issuing a public alert on X asking anyone who finds a cylinder to inform authorities immediately.