Panic in Ennore as Ammonia gas leak

CHENNAI: Already grappling with the oil spill that affected the environment and livelihood, Ennore residents had to undergo yet another scare as a gas leak, which has been identified as Ammonia, created panic in Periya Kuppam village during the wee hours of Wednesday.

A fisherman said that residents felt odour in the air and some residents started fainting.

"Immediately, all the residents evacuated their houses with the help of youngsters from neighboring villages and were given accommodations in houses of other villages. Around 30 persons had fainted of which 2 persons were admitted to a hospital," a fisherman said.

Meanwhile, a Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) report on the gas leak said that leak was from Coromandel International Limited, which is a fertilizer manufacturing facility and involved in the manufacture of Ammonium Phosphate Potash Sulphate (APPS).

As Ammonia is a raw material for APPS, the gas in liquid form is received via Ennore minor port through ships and transferred from there using a 2.5km long pipeline.

"A message was received from the unit at 12.45 am regarding the ammonia gas leakage that happened during the pre-cooling operation of the pipeline. Immediately the JCEE (M) Chennai along with DEE (Ambattur) and AEE (Manali) reached the site by 2.15 am and inspected the unit and the pipeline locations. The Joint Director, DISH (Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health), who is the authority for the safety of the industrial operation was also present at the site," a statement said.

During the inspection, the ammonia level in the ambient air was monitored and found to be 3ppm (2,090 mg/cubic meter) as against 400 mg/cubic meter at 3.30 am near the material gate of the fertilizer unit. However, after 4 am, the amount of Ammonia in the air reduced to zero in many areas including Periya Kuppam, the report said.

"The seawater sample at the point of pipeline leakage was collected at 3. 49 am and the ammonia level in the seawater was found to be 49 mg/L as against the marine discharge standard of 5 mg/L. At 4.30 am, mild ammonia odour was observed near the site and the Chinnakuppam and Periyakuppam villages," the report said.

Meanwhile, residents, who evacuated their houses, started to return after Ammonia presence in the ambient air started to subside.