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Andhra Pradesh
FBV opposes storage plant
Special Correspondent
| ‘The chemical is as dangerous as RDX’ |
VISAKHAPATNAM: The Forum for Better Visakha, while strongly opposing setting up an ammonium nitrate storage plant at Mindi in the city, urged the people and all Government departments to express themselves against the plant during the public hearing to be held on July 31.
The Shravan Shipping was planning to set up a 20,000 ton ammonium nitrate storage plant but it should be understood that the chemical was as dangerous as RDX, its vapours spread over a radius of several kilometres, spreading pollution and causing diseases to the people while the ground water would get polluted, coordinator of FBV and former Energy Secretary E.A.S. Sarma in a press release.
Many schools were also located around the site of the proposed plant and the Meghadrigedda reservoir, which was about 3.5 km away and one of the drinking water sources would get polluted.
Security threat
Apart from the pollution threat storing a huge quantity of this chemical was also a security threat.
An electric spark, lighting, small fire or any spark would ignite the chemical and the explosion would destroy a large area spread over some kilometres of
It was also known that there was a possibility of ammonium nitrate getting ignited itself if the quantity of its stored at a place was more than 50 tons.
Major accidents
Dr. Sarma also cited the examples of major accidents involving the chemical, like the train from North Korea to China, in Spain, France and America, which caused huge loss of human life and property.
These incidents happened in the countries where a lot of precautions were always taken and it should also be noted that the quantity of the chemical involved in these accidents was much less than what the Shravan Shipping was planning to store, he said.
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