Anhydrous ammonia leak from tanker trunk causes panic near Vadodara, cooling process on

According to VFES officials, about 25 tankers were rushed to spray water and reduce the gas emission and bring down the pressure in the tanker. The incident took place around 1 pm.

Nikunj Azad, in-charge Chief Fire Officer, VFES, told The Indian Express, “We received a call about the ammonia tanker leak near the Sankarda bridge. For over two and a half hours we have been continuing the water cooling process to dilute the chemical and also used a special chemical leakage kit as per protocol. It was a heavy leakage which had to be diluted to prevent people in the vicinity from being affected.”

Azad said that the operation to cool down the emission is still on as officials are deliberating on where the tanker should be taken thereafter. Azad said, “It appears that the leak possibly began after the top of the tanker hit the concrete arch of the underpass… The primary probe is on to ascertain what happened. We are also ascertaining details of the incident as the operation is still on.”

Azad added that the leakage of anhydrous ammonia, used as an industrial refrigerant, can lead to breathing difficulty, and cause irritation in the eyes and burns in the skin. It dissolves easily in large amounts of water and forms a caustic solution of ammonium hydroxide, which neutralises its effect.