Bengaluru: Chennai could be sitting on a time bomb, like Lebanon’s capital Beirut, because over 700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate have been found to be stored close to the Chennai Port.
These concerns were brought to the notice of the AIADMK-led Tamil Nadu government by Dr S. Ramadoss, chief of the Pattali Makkal Katchi, the ruling party’s ally.
On 4 August, nearly 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse at Beirut Port exploded, leaving more than 135 people dead, thousands injured and large-scale devastation.
Ramadoss tweeted he was shocked to learn about 740 tonnes of the explosive substance stored in a warehouse near the Chennai Port.
“This is the cause for the biggest explosion in Beirut…….to prevent this the chemical should be safely disposed of and used for purposes such as making fertilisers etc!” the tweet read.
சென்னை துறைமுகத்தை ஒட்டிய கிடங்கு ஒன்றில் 740 டன் அமோனியம் நைட்ரேட் எனும் வெடிமருந்து 5 ஆண்டுகளாக இருப்பு வைக்கப்பட்டிருப்பதாக வெளியாகியுள்ள செய்தி மிகவும் அதிர்ச்சியளிக்கிறது. லெபனான் நாட்டில் மிகப்பெரிய வெடிவிபத்து ஏற்பட்டதற்கு இந்த வெடிமருந்து தான் காரணமாகும்!#ChennaiHarbour
— Dr S RAMADOSS (@drramadoss) August 6, 2020
சென்னை கிடங்கில் உள்ள அமோனியம் நைட்ரேட்டால் அதேபோன்ற வெடிவிபத்து ஏற்படும் ஆபத்து உள்ளது. அதைத் தடுக்க சென்னை கிடங்கில் உள்ள அமோனியம் நைட்ரேட் வெடிமருந்தை பாதுகாப்பாக அப்புறப்படுத்தி, உரம் தயாரிப்பு போன்ற பிற தேவைகளுக்கு பயன்படுத்திக் கொள்ள வேண்டும்!
#AmmoniumNitrate #Explosive
— Dr S RAMADOSS (@drramadoss) August 6, 2020
ThePrint approached minister K. Pandiarajan, also known as Ma Foi Pandiarajan, spokesperson for the Tamil Nadu government, through phone calls, but he didn’t wish to comment on the issue.
Also read: Lebanon officials ignored warnings on ammonium nitrate behind deadly Beirut blast
Where did it come from?
According to Chennai Port sources, this large amount of ammonium nitrate was confiscated in 2015 by the customs department, and has been lying there since.
The port officials, on the condition of anonymity, said the substance was stored “safely” in Manali, around 14 km from Chennai Port. The consignment consists of 36 containers with around 20 tonnes of ammonium nitrate each, meant to be transported to Sivakasi, India’s fireworks hub. It was confiscated before being sent there due to “technical reasons”.
Government sources added, also on the condition of anonymity, that officials visited the storage facility this morning and that the chemical would be e-auctioned soon.
Also read: All about ammonium nitrate — chemical behind the massive blast in Lebanon’s Beirut