Coromandel calls it ‘act of God’; TN says negligence

Chennai: Arguments over the Dec 26 ammonia leak at Ennore continued to keep the National Green Tribunal (NGT) busy, with the company, Coromandel International, claiming that the leak was an ‘act of God’, while the state pollution control board accusing the company of not taking precautionary measures.
At 11.45pm on Dec 26, ammonia leaked from the pipeline that goes towards Coromandel International Limited, a fertiliser factory in Ennore. According to a report by a seven-member technical committee, around 67.6 tonnes of ammonia leaked from sub-sea pipeline in the night of Dec 26. The committee also said 5.92 crore must be levied as environmental compensation and Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) must take legal action against the factory.
Residents around the factory, in Periyakuppam and Chinnakuppam, suffered from suffocation, eye irritation and nausea. Ammonia levels in the air were more than five times the safe limits prescribed by CPCB. Around 52 people were diagnosed with ammonia poisoning. TNPCB submitted the report to NGT (Southern Bench) on Tuesday, during further hearing of the suo motu proceedings initiated by the tribunal into the ammonia gas leak incident.
The report gave a timeline of the gas leak. On Dec 23, marine divers visually inspected the pipeline for abnormalities and found none. On Dec 26, at 8pm, the pressure of the pipeline was 1.9kg/cm2 before pre-cooling. Then, during pre-cooling, liquid ammonia was used, and pressure was gradually increased to 3.8kg/cm2, when the pipeline gave way and leaked ammonia. None of the 19 ammonia sensors within the Coromandel plant showed abnormal values.
“The unit [Coromandel] informed that heavy movement of granite boulders near the shore that happened over the pipeline during cyclone Michaung could have damaged the pipeline,” said the detailed report. During the hearing, expert member Satyagopal Korlapati pointed out that while the cyclone happened in the first week of Dec, the gas leak happened on Dec 26. He also asked, “did more ammonia leak from the storage tank too?” TNPCB counsel responded that they would investigate.
TNPCB also said Coromandel was solely responsible for the gas leak incident because it failed to take necessary precautions for safe operations, affecting people’s health and environment. Coromandel responded that the incident was an ‘act of God’. NGT held that Coromandel must be held responsible for not taking care of the pipelines during cyclone Michaung. “Nothing can be taken as God’s work without God talking about it,” said the judges. They then asked Coromandel to submit a report on the incident and the next hearing is on March 5.
Meanwhile, Ennore locals shut down shops demanding that the government permanently close Coromandel.