Chennai: At least 12 people were admitted to a hospital in Chennai, after ammonia gas leaked from an underwater pipeline connected to a fertiliser manufacturing facility near Periyakuppam in Ennore on Tuesday night.
Tamil Nadu Environment Minister S.V. Meyyanathan announced that the unit would remain shut until further orders. Health Minister Ma Subramanian met the hospitalised people and enquired about their health.
Residents of Periyakuppam, Chinnakuppam, Eranavur and Nettukuppam had complained of pungent smell, uneasiness, eye irritation and breathing difficulty. The gas leak comes close on the heels of an oil spill in Chennai that spread at least 20 sq km into the sea.
In a press statement, Additional Chief Secretary, Environment, Climate Change and Forests, Supriya Sahu said that the government received information from Coromandel International Ltd, a fertiliser manufacturing facility, “at 12.45 am regarding the ammonia gas leakage that happened during the pre-cooling operation of the pipeline”.
Coromandel International manufactures Ammonium Phosphate Potash Sulphate (APPS) for which Ammonia is required as one of the raw materials.
VIDEO | Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma. Subramanian meets those hospitalised after the ammonia gas leak at a chemical factory in Ennore. pic.twitter.com/ROonzUpofQ
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 27, 2023
Sahu said the fertiliser manufacturing facility, which imported Ammonia from Iran or Saudi Arabia, is received via Ennore port through ships. This is then “transferred from there using 8’ flexible HDPE pipeline of 2.5 km length laid underneath the sea bed. The depth of the pipeline from the sea surface varies from 1’ near the shore to 18’ at the mooring point at port”, she said.
On 26 December, the unit observed pressure drop in the pipeline at around 11.45 pm and observed pungent odour around the storage terminal and near the material gate. “The unit also immediately visited the pipeline location across the road and observed gas bubbles coming out of the pipeline at about 2’ from the shore. The unit immediately started depressurising the pipeline by diverting the ammonia vapour to the flare and completed the operation within 20 minutes,” Sahu said.
The joint director, Directorate of Industrial Safety, and other senior officers from Chennai, Ambattur and Manali reached the spot, she added.
Several residents from Periyakuppam, Chinnakuppam and Thalankuppam protested outside Coromandel Factory demanding free medical camp, legal action if any irregularity in the functioning of the facility, and the company bearing medical expenses of the people in the region. They also sought insurance for the residents as a contingency measure.
In a statement, Coromandel stated that during routine operation, the unit noticed abnormality in the ammonia unloading subsea pipeline near shoreside, outside the plant premises. “Our SOP activated immediately, and we isolated the ammonia system facility and brought the situation to normalcy in the shortest time. During the process, few members in the local community expressed discomfort and were given medical attention immediately. All are safe and normalcy is restored. We have informed relevant authorities about the incident. Coromandel has always adhered to the highest safety standards and emergency response system,” it said.
Also Read: Shrinking water bodies, rampant encroachment, ‘colluding depts’ — why Chennai floods year after year
‘No need to panic’
Soon after the gas leak, many residents in Periyakuppam, Chinna Kuppam and the neighbouring areas rushed out to the roads from their homes.
“No need to panic. Stabilised. No more gas (ammonia) leaks at Ennore. people are reassured and are back home. Medical and police teams are present,” Joint Commissioner of Police, Avadi, Vijayakumar, had posted around 3:30 am on X, formerly Twitter.
Amudha, a resident of Ennore, said that she and her family started feeling uneasy around 11:30 pm. Her neighbours also complained the same, and in some time, most of the people were out on the road.
“We were wearing multiple masks, which made breathing more difficult. All of us stayed on the road and in the nearby temples,” she told ThePrint. Some of Amudha’s neighbours were taken to shelter homes where they were given medical assistance for helping ease the breathlessness and eye burn, Amudha added.
Police and the district administration shifted residents, who were willing to move, to relief centres.
Sahu said the level of ammonia had dropped by 3:30am. “During inspection by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Board Control team, the ammonia level in the ambient air was monitored and found to be 3 ppm (2,090 microgram/m3 against 400 microgram/m3 on 24 hr average) at 3.30 am near the material gate,” the statement said.
At the time of the incident, she added, the fertiliser unit using a hand-held monitor had found that the ammonia level was 28 ppm near the material gate.
Environmentalist Nityanand Jayaraman told ThePrint that a pipeline ruptured 500 m inside the sea. “Fishermen reported having noticed bubbles yesterday,” he said.
“The levels of ammonia reported in the press release have been taken three hours after the incident and do not offer any insight into the incident. The winds were blowing from Northeast to Southwest carrying the contaminant plume from the coast towards Burma Nagar and Ernavur. Levels ought to have been measured 2 to 3 km southwest depending on wind speed,” he said.
Jayaraman added that it can be concluded that people have suffered unacceptable levels of exposure from the fact that they continued to experience an intense odour at Ernavur and Burma Nagar at 1 am. “The fact that this happened in the leadup to the unloading of ammonia from ship to factory, and not during the actual unloading is a blessing. Things could have been far worse otherwise,” he said.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Also Read: Odanthurai Panchayat struggling to maintain ‘windmill pioneer’ image—it has many bills to pay