CHENNAI: After unsafely stored ammonium nitrate killed at least 135 people and injured thousands in Beirut, Tamil Nadu government is in touch with Customs department for the safe disposal of 740 metric tonnes of ammonium nitrate which is lying in 37 containers for nearly five years at a Container freight station (CFS) in Manali, according to official sources.
A top revenue department official told The New Indian Express that the ammonium nitrate is not in open and kept in the tightly packed containers and Customs have done a safety audit and adequate safety parameters are being followed.
T Samaya Murali, the joint Commissioner of Customs, said that the freight station is located 20km away from the city and there is no residential locality within the vicinity of 2km from the CFS. "All safety measures are being taken to ensure public safety. The process of disposal of cargo is taken up and e-auction is already being completed," said Murali.
It is learnt from state government sources that the Customs department has assured that the cargo will be disposed of within a month.
According to Customs department sources, 740 tonnes of ammonium nitrate (prill type) chemical in 37 containers, valued at Rs 1.80 crore was seized by Chennai Customs in November 2015 from Sri Amman Chemicals of Karur (TN).
The importer had mis-declared the goods as ammonium nitrate of fertilizer grade whereas on examination it was found to be of explosive grade and had not followed Ammonium Nitrate Rules 2012.
These seized containers are lying at Sattva Hi-Tech Container Freight Station, Manali. It is learnt from the Customs department that ammonium nitrate cargo is under the process of e-auction.
Ammonium nitrate is a crystal-like white substance, made in industrial quantities, as a source of nitrogen for producing fertilisers. It also used to create explosives for mining and other purposes. Due to its explosive nature, ammonium nitrate has been used by armies and terrorists.
While Customs department sources claimed that the consignment has been mandated a unique procedure for safekeeping, fire safety experts warned that if there is such an explosion, the state doesn't have adequate mechanisms.
V Sivaramakrishnan, a fire consultant, told Express that the state is not aware of how many people are handling ammonia once it is offloaded in the port. He said there is a need for a safety audit to be done across the state or even in the country on who is handling how much of ammonia and whether it is kept safely. In any warehouse, the ammonia should be compartmentalised and not allowed to mix with combustible chemicals.
Ammonium nitrates are produced as small porous pellets, or “prills” and are one of the world’s most widely used fertilizers. It is also the main component in many types of mining explosives, where it’s mixed with fuel oil and detonated by an explosive charge. For an industrial ammonium nitrate disaster to occur, a lot needs to go wrong. Tragically, this seems to have been the case in Beirut, said Sivaramakrishnan, who even volunteered to do the safety audit for the
state.
He says that Ammonium nitrate does not burn on its own. Instead, it acts as a source of oxygen that can accelerate the combustion (burning) of other materials. "For combustion to occur, oxygen must be present. ammonium nitrate prills provide a much more concentrated supply of oxygen than the air around us. This is why it is effective in mining explosives, where it’s mixed with oil and other fuels," he says.