FACT ammonia barge gets conditional nod
The report was submitted to the collector on June 1.
Kochi: Ernakulam district collector M.G. Rajamanickam on Tuesday withdrew an earlier order and provided conditional nod to FACT (Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Ltd) to resume transportation of chemical substances like ammonia through barge.
The decision was taken after the FACT management implemented some of the 23-point safety recommendations included in a joint inspection report prepared by the departments of Factories and Boilers, police and Fire and Rescue services into the May 20 ammonia spill incident.
“The conditional nod was given following a meeting with the collector in which we gave in writing to implement the remaining safety measures within a short period of time. The ammonia transportation will resume in a couple of days,” said a FACT spokesman.
The ammonia leak from one of the bullet tanker of the barge at Thykoodam sent panic waves as the spill could be plugged only after five hours, forcing the authorities to carry out emergency evacuation of local residents. The collector ordered a ban after finding serious lapse on part of FACT to take adequate safety measures during transport.
“We’ve already implemented conditions such as setting up a public address system along with an emergency siren on board the barge to warn people in case of an emergency. Others safety measures like remote operated valve on top of the bullet tanker carrying liquid ammonia will be implemented in a phased manner,” the official said. The report was submitted to the collector on June 1.