The ammonia leakage, which continued for six hours on Friday night, could have been plugged in less than half the time taken for it had the operations been handled properly, an expert, who was present at the site, has said.
He said things would have been different had polypropylene tarpaulin been arranged during leak mitigation efforts.
“Had polypropylene tarpaulin been used, instead of sacks, to cover the tank, it would have stopped the fumes. Ammonia would have condensed, stopped vaporising, turned into ice form, easing air pressure,” he said. Once this was achieved, plugging the leak would have been an easy task, he added.
Initially, visibility and approachability were the two factors that slowed down operations and plugging of leak. Once this was managed, it was just a matter of tightening the valve, he said.
