The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) is responsible for regulating the midstream and the downstream petroleum sectors (i.e., the sectors that deal with refining, processing, storage, transportation, distribution, marketing and sale of petroleum, petroleum products and natural gas) in India. 

As a part of this regulatory power (enumerated in Section 61 of the PNGRB Act, 2006), the PNGRB came up with the The PNGRB (Codes of Practices for Emergency Response and Disaster Management Plan (ERDMP)) Regulations, 2010 (ERDMP Regulations). This short post introduces the readers to these Regulations.

The consolidated ERDMP Regulations, 2010 (amended up to 2025) are available at the website of the PNGRB. Further amendments are proposed to these Regulations.

Purpose of the ERDMP Regulations: 

The ERDMP Regulations are aimed at laying down the code of practice for dealing with emergencies and disasters. The intent behind these Regulations is spelt out in Reg. 4(1) and reads:

“(a) to develop a concise and informative ERDMP to enable the entity to mitigate the emergency as quickly as possible;
(b) to prevent escalation of event both on-site and off-site;
(c) to minimize impact on people;
(d) to reduce damage to property, machinery and environment;
(e) to develop a state of readiness for a prompt and orderly response to an emergency and to establish a high order of preparedness (equipment, personnel) commensurate with the risk;
(f) to provide an incident management organogram with clear missions and lines of authority (incident command system, field supervision, unified command);
(g) to ensure an orderly and timely decision-making and response process (notification, standard operating procedures);
(h) to maintain good public relations“.
The ERDMP Regulations, 2010 has been amended thrice: in 2015, 2020 and 2025. 
Structure of the ERDMP Regulations:
The structure of these regulations is given below:
1. Short title and commencement 
2. Definitions 
3. Applicability 
4. Scope and intent 
4.1 Scope 
4.2 Intent 
5. The content of the regulation 
6. Classification of emergencies 
7. Implementation schedule 
8. Defaults and Consequences 
9. Requirements under other statutes 
10. Pre-Emergency Planning 
10.1 Hazard identification 
10.2 Risk analysis and risk assessment 
10.3 Causes of disasters 
10.4 Consequences 
11. Emergency Mitigation Measures 
11.1 Basic requirement of ERDMP 
11.2 Resource mobilisation 
11.3 Health, Safety and Environment Management 
12. Emergency Preparedness Measures 
12.1 Emergency Drills and Mock Exercises 
12.2 Training 
12.3 Mutual Aid 
13. Response Procedures and Measures 
14. Emergency Organization and Responsibilities 
14.1 Organization chart 
14.2 Typical Roles and Responsibilities (CIC, SIC, Coordinators) 
15. Infrastructure 
15.1 Emergency Control Centres 
15.2 Assembly Points 
16. Declaration of on-site and off-site emergencies 
17. Resources for controlling Emergency 
18. Demographic Information 
19. Medical Facilities 
20. Evacuation 
21. Information to Public 
22. Roles and responsibilities of stakeholders including external agencies 
23. Reporting of the Incident 
24. Action after reporting of incident by the entity 
25. Termination of emergency 
26. Emergency Recovery Procedures 
27. ERDMP for pipelines carrying petroleum products and retail outlets 
28. ERDMP for road transportation 
29. Integration of the ERDMP with the National Disaster Management Plan (NDMP) 
30. Security Threat Plan 
31. Miscellaneous
Schedule – I: Schedule of implementation of Code of Practice for ERDMP 
Schedule – II: List of Relevant Statutes on Management of Hazardous Substances
Schedule – III: Basic Requirements of ERDMP
Schedule – IV: Resource Mobilisation (Men and Equipment)
Schedule – V: The important Roles and Responsibilities of Various Stakeholders
Schedule – VI: INCIDENT REPORTING FORMAT
Schedule – VII: ERDMP for pipelines carrying petroleum products
Schedule – VIII: Resource Mobilisation for Road Transportation Emergencies
Schedule – IX: Transport Emergency Card Format
Check List-1: Emergency Response and Disaster Management Plan (ERDMP)
Check List-2: Incident Prevention Measures
Check List-3: Mutual Aid/ Mock Drills 
Check List-4: ERDMP Response Measures/Infrastructure
Check List-5: Review and Updation of ERDMP
Check List-6: Availability of resources [ internal / external ]
Check List-7: ERDMP – Recovery Measures
Annexure 1: Format for Material Safety Data Sheet
Annexure 2: Emergency Response Plan during Projects or Construction
Annexure 3: Typical Mock Drill Reporting Format
Proposals to Amend the ERDMP Regulations: