'Liquor ammonia leaked in Vatva'

AHMEDABAD: The second "mysterious" gas that had leaked from Vatva GIDC, causing panic in nearby residential areas of Hanumanagar on Wednesday night, was liquor or anhydrous ammonia. Two persons lost consciousness because of the leak who were later rushed to a nearby private hospital.
The leak on Wednesday night was reported from Kumar Industries, in Phase-1 of the Vatva GIDC area. Soon after the leak happened, people who were living in nearby Hanumannagar Society started to feel a burning sensation in their eyes and even complained of breathing difficulties.A similar gas leak on November 5 had sent 14 people from nearby Vinzol village to the LG Hospital's ophthalmology department complaining of severe eye irritation.
Sources in the directorate of industrial safety and health (DISH) claim that the ammonia leak took place at 8:15 pm due to a large spillage of liquor ammonia. The workers in the unit were transferring the liquor ammonia through a "flexible" pipe from the storage tank to the mixing or blending vessel.
"Kumar industries is involved in electroplating chemicals and liqour ammonia is used in these processes," says a senior DISH official. The unit is being questioned on safety measures it had employed while transferring the noxious content.
"We are also seeing whether the amount of liquor ammonia used was a sanctioned use," adds the DISH official. Meanwhile, officials from the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) claimed that by the time they had reached the spot most of the ammonia gas was dispelled, but confirmed of the leakage having occurred within the factory premises. "Exposure to low concentrations of ammonia in air may produce eye irritation. The full extent of eye injury may not be apparent for up to a week after the exposure," says the senior DISH official.