KOCHI: The city residents woke up to a pungent odour following a chemical leak from a gas pipeline laid by Adani Gas at Kangarappady, triggering panic on Saturday morning. The leakage reportedly began on Friday noon and the smell intensified at night. Several residents of Kangarappady, Kalamassery, Kakkanad, HMT Colony, Edappally, and CUSAT complained about the strong chemical odour. Some experienced suffocation and uneasiness. However, the Adani Group later informed that the leaked chemical was non-toxic.
“We started experiencing the foul smell by evening and it intensified at night. When we enquired, the ASHA worker in the area informed us that it was because of an annual cleaning process being carried out in the gas pipeline and will end soon. I experienced suffocation due to the nauseating smell,” said Vinay Bhaskar, a resident of Kangarappady.
According to him, the smell of the chemical was similar to that of rotten eggs. However, it completely stopped by morning. “We are suffering from one thing or the other continuously in Kochi. Earlier, it was the smoke from the Brahmapuram waste plant fire, now the chemical leakage,” Vinay said.
Residents in Kangarappady junction felt the smell strongly than the other areas. We enquired about the issue at midnight itself as soon as the residents alerted us. However, the smell reduced after half an hour,” said Lissy Karthikeyan, Kangarappady ward councillor.
Though initial reports said the odour was due to the cleaning process, the residents came to know later that it was because of the chemical leak from the gas pipeline. However, the Adani group maintained that a cleaning process was going on in the pump that supplies butyl mercaptan, a foul-smelling chemical that is used as an odorant for natural gas. The chemicals might have spread during the cleaning process, however, there was no major leak, said the authorities.
Kalamassery municipality chairperson Seema Kannan said the local body will seek an explanation from the Adani Gas authorities on the issue. “Our officials examined the issue as soon as we received the information from the public. We contacted the Adani Gas officials but they did not respond. The municipality will issue a notice seeking their explanation in this regard,” she said.
Following the reports of gas leakage, the Fire and Rescue Services personnel and safety officers of KINFRA inspected the area. The recent fire at the Brahmapuram waste treatment plant had already hit the air quality index in Kochi and nearby areas.
No major leak
Adani group maintained that a cleaning process was going on in the pump that supplies butyl mercaptan, a chemical used as an odorant for natural gas. The chemicals might have spread during the cleaning process, however, there was no major leak, said authorities