For the people of North Chennai, the ammonia gas leak came as a second blow after they were recently affected by an oil spill.
Health Minister interacting with the gas leak victims. (Subramanian_ma/ X)
On the night of Tuesday, 26 December, ammonia gas leaked from a subsea pipeline linked to a fertiliser manufacturing unit in the Ennore area of North Chennai, leading to the hospitalisation of 52 people by Wednesday.
The 52 local residents are under observation in various hospitals.
Health Minister Ma Subramanian visited Government Stanley Medical College Hospital in Chennai and spoke to the people admitted from gas-hit areas and interacted with hospital authorities.
For the people of North Chennai, the ammonia gas leak came as a second blow after they were recently affected by an oil spill.
The leak has been fully plugged and there is no cause for concern, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) said, following protests by people who sought closure of the plant.
“Within 20 minutes, the gas leak was plugged by specialists,” an official release said, adding that “the TNPCB has confirmed that there is no ammonia leak now.”
A technical committee of experts has been set up by the government to look into the matter and submit its immediate field assessment report within 24 hours and a full report within three days.
On Wednesday, police personnel pacified people by telling them that experts were addressing the issue and requested them to go back into their houses as “there is no problem”.
The gas leak took place around 11:45 pm on 26 December and some fishermen and local residents who happened to be on the beachfront at midnight noticed unusual sounds and water gushing from some spots above the subsea pipeline.
Soon, an odour spread through the air in North Chennai areas, causing severe discomfort to people.
A number of people fainted after experiencing a “burning sensation” in their eyes, throat, and chest. Many people who were asleep woke up in panic and rushed out of their houses. They alerted neighbours and all of them soon reached the main roads, unsure of what to do.
Approximately 60 people including children, who were residents of areas close to the fertiliser plant experienced unease, shortness of breath, nausea, faintness, and irritation in the eyes. They were treated in hospitals.
As of now, “52 people are under observation in hospitals”, the government said, adding that medical camps were organised in the affected areas. In a separate release, the state Health Department said, “All those in hospitals are doing well.”
Coromandel International Limited, a Murugappa Group company which runs the fertiliser plant, said in a statement, “As part of routine operation, we noticed an abnormality on 26 December 2023 at 23.30 hr in the ammonia unloading subsea pipeline near shoreside, outside the plant premises. Our Standard Operating Procedure activated immediately and we isolated the ammonia system facility and brought the situation to normalcy in the shortest time.”
The company added, “A 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.”
Further, Meyyanathan Siva V, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, stated that Coromandel International Limited Industry must remain shut till further orders.
The government said that it has issued an order mandating that the company carry out appropriate tests after a full repair of its pipelines to completely rule out any scope for the leak. This must be done before unloading ammonia (in liquid form through undersea pipelines) from ships, it stated.
The technical committee of experts set up by the government, which is expected to submit a full report within three days, comprises experts from the Indian Institute of Technology, and officials of the state and central pollution control boards, as well as NEERI and CLRI.
After the company officials addressed the issue, police personnel pacified the people who gathered on the roads and requested them to go back to their homes as there was no problem anymore.
Police personnel were deployed in the area to prevent law and order issues. Meanwhile, sources said a team of NDRF specialists visited the spot to conduct a safety audit.
Governor RN Ravi expressed concern and wished the affected people a speedy recovery.
AIADMK chief and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami slammed the DMK regime for the incident and said the TNPCB officials should act swiftly and take appropriate preventive steps to avert such accidents.
The former chief minister also demanded that the government provide relief to the affected people.
According to representatives of fishing villages, Chinna Kuppam, Periyakuppam, Netaji Nagar, and Burma Nagar in North Chennai were among the affected neighbourhoods.
People had a tough time finding transport at midnight and used whatever vehicles were available, such as autorickshaws and motorcycles, to reach hospitals.
An elderly woman fainted after bouts of vomiting and was rushed to a hospital in an autorickshaw. Buses and ambulances were also deployed by authorities to immediately bring the affected people to hospitals many kilometres away from the location of the fertiliser plant.
The gas leak comes weeks after the oil spill that happened in Ennore Creek. On 4 December, an oil spill from the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL), contaminated the Kosasthalaiyar river via the Buckingham Canal.
As a result of the oil slick and seepage, boats and nets in fishing villages in North Chennai were affected. The oil spill reached the Bay of Bengal via Ennore Creek, leaving the shores and the water unfit for fishing.
The recovery work took weeks and, on 20 December, the government finally announced that the recovery work had been completed.
The environmental impact of the oil spill is so severe that the fishermen predict depletion of catch for the next six months. While small quantities of oil spillage has always been noticed at these fishing hamlets every monsoon, this is the second severe incident of oil spill after the one in 2017.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, on Saturday, 23 December, ordered cash assistance ranging between ₹7,500 and ₹12,500 to 9,001 families affected by the oil spill in North Chennai areas.
(With PTI inputs)
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