Regulatory Compliance
What is ERDMP? Emergency Response and Disaster Management Plan Explained
Vinit Pandey · Published 2 December 2025 · Updated 15 October 2026
In short: ERDMP (Emergency Response and Disaster Management Plan) is the statutory emergency plan required by India's Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board under the PNGRB (Codes of Practices for ERDMP) Regulations, 2010, for refineries, gas processing plants, pipelines, storage terminals, LPG bottling plants and city gas distribution networks.
- Hazard Scenarios
- Emergency Levels 1–3
- Response Organisation
- Mutual Aid & District Coordination
- Mock Drills
Key takeaways
- Required under the PNGRB ERDMP Regulations, 2010 for petroleum and natural gas sector entities
- Chemical MAH units meet the parallel obligation through MSIHC on-site emergency plans; districts prepare off-site plans
- Built on hazard scenario inputs from HAZID, HAZOP, and QRA studies
- Mock drill records are routinely reviewed at consent-to-operate renewal
ERDMP is a term defined by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB). Its ERDMP Regulations, 2010 require entities in the petroleum and natural gas sector to prepare, implement and keep current an Emergency Response and Disaster Management Plan following the Board's codes of practice — covering hazard identification, emergency classification into escalation levels, the emergency organisation, resources, mutual aid, communication and coordination with district authorities.
Chemical facilities outside the PNGRB sector have a parallel obligation under a different law. A Major Accident Hazard (MAH) installation under the Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical (MSIHC) Rules, 1989 must maintain an on-site emergency plan, and the district authority prepares the off-site emergency plan using the occupier's hazard data. These plans are often called ERDMPs in practice and follow a very similar structure, but the statutory basis — and the authority that reviews them — is different.
A credible ERDMP requires hazard scenario inputs from HAZID, HAZOP and QRA studies, a defined on-site emergency organisation with clear roles, mutual aid arrangements with neighbouring facilities, and a structured mock drill program to validate the plan in practice.
Regulatory inspections and consent-to-operate renewals routinely review ERDMP currency and mock drill records as evidence of a facility's operational emergency preparedness.
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