Evacuation of chemicals begins again at Sterlite unit

Thoothukudi

Collector Sandeep Nanduri on Monday said that the evacuation of all chemicals and substances from the Sterlite Copper plant, which once again started on Monday, would be completed in a month.

However, he said that gypsum, which is found in large quantities, may require more time.

Earlier, nearly 2,125 metric tonnes of sulphuric acid was removed from one of the storage units after an acid leak was detected a few weeks ago.

Subsequently, a “high-power committee,” that was formed comprising members from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health, Fire and Rescue Services and retired professors from the IIT-Madras and Anna University, inspected the plant. It submitted a report to the Government on the materials stored in the plant.

A number of chemicals and substances are present in the plant. As per a government direction, the chemicals should be removed in a month.

“Like the earlier evacuation [of sulphuric acid], all the material would be sold to other industries,” Mr. Nanduri said.

A special team, led by the Collector, including Sub-Collector M.S. Prasanth, Corporation Commissioner Alby John Varghese, District Environmental Engineer P.S. Livingston, officials from the Fire and Rescue Services department, Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health, is overseeing the evacuation process.

A senior official told The Hindu that nearly six tank trucks of sulphuric acid (nearly 120 metric tonnes) had been evacuated on Monday.

Chemicals found in Sterlite

Sulphuric acid - 5,100 MT, Phosphoric acid - 3,100 MT, Copper concentrate - 90,000 MT, Gypsum - 4.5 lakh MT, Diesel & Furnace Oil - 826 kilo litres, LPG - 49 MT, Liquid oxygen - 255 MT, Hydro-fluoro silicic acid - 150 MT, Isopropyl alcohol - 8 MT, Rock Phosphate - 63,300 MT.

(Source: government agency)