50 hospitalised after ammonia gas leak in Chennai’s Ennore, says health minister
The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) said the level of ammonia in the air was 2,090 micrograms per cubic meter as opposed to the accepted level of 400 micrograms
Around 50 people were hospitalised after an ammonia gas leak incident late on Tuesday night in a fertilizer plant in North Chennai’s Ennore area, the state government said on Wednesday.
Tamil Nadu health minister M Subramanian said that more than a hundred people from Ennore were affected and around 50 have been hospitalised. “All of them are stable now,” he told reporters after meeting the patients.
According to officials, the gas leak occurred from an underwater pipeline that runs from the sea to the factory at 11.45pm from the fertiliser manufacturing facility of Coromandel International Limited (part of the Murugappa Group) in Ennore. The health minister has ordered the shutting down of the unit further orders.
A large number of people in the area complained of breathlessness and skin irritation following which they were admitted to different hospitals.
Government officials said that they were alerted at 12.45am when gas bubbles were seen coming out of the pipeline near the shore. Simultaneously locals from villages observed a pungent odour and complained to the city police. “The unit immediately started depressurising the pipeline … and completed the operation within 20 minutes,” the state government said.
Police and district officials came to the site rushing with 16 ambulances and other public transport. Some people received first aid due to eye irritation and breathing difficulties, officials said.
The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) said the level of ammonia in the air was 2,090 micrograms per cubic meter as opposed to the accepted level of 400 micrograms. In the sea, it was 49 milligrams per litre (mg/l) as against the standard of 5 mg/l, the board said in a statement.
The southern bench of the National Green Tribunal, taking suo moto cognisance (on its own accord) on Wednesday, directed the TNPCB to file a report to be heard on January 2, 2024.
On Wednesday, locals protested demanding that the factory be closed. “Nobody warned us about the gas leak. Suddenly last night, my children and I were all feeling breathless,” said a 28-year-old mother of two young children. People also complained of burning in their eyes, throat, nose and chest. Some had fainted and complained of breathlessness.
Prabhakaran Veeraarasu, the environment engineer of the city-based NGO, Poovulagin Nanbargal, said that the people have been exposed to extreme levels of ammonia. “What we are seeing now is the initial effects of ammonia exposure. Long-term ammonia exposure can affect the lungs and kidneys too. Since ammonia’s density is lighter than air, it would have dispersed by now. But, when it leaked at night, due to the high moisture content, the ammonia was trapped so people inhaled it for at least two-three hours.”
He said that the marine ecosystem has also been affected since ammonia in water turns into ammonia hydroxide and fishermen are reporting several dead fish in the sea, he added.
The factory manufactures four lakh tonnes of Ammonium Phosphate Potash Sulphate annually and ammonia is one of the raw materials used for manufacturing, which is received from the minor port in Ennore through ships. It is transferred from there through a 2.5 km pipeline laid underneath the sea bed, which is cooled for 36 hours before the transfer in liquid form.
“This unit receives and unloads ammonia of 3,000 to 8,000 tonnes once a month,” the TNPCB said in a statement. “The unit carries out the pre-cooling and ammonia transfer operation only after getting permission from Tamil Nadu Maritime Board,” it said.
Coromandel International in a statement said that as part of their routine operation, they noticed an abnormality in the ammonia unloading pipeline subsea near the shoreside and outside the plant premises.
“Our Standard Operating Procedure activated immediately, and we have isolated the ammonia system facility and brought the situation to normalcy in the shortest time,” Amir Alvi, president and head, manufacturing (fertiliser) and supply chain of the company said.
“During the process, a few members of 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,” he added.