Deadly fumes: On the tragedy of the ammonia leak in Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu has witnessed the deadliest industrial ammonia leak tragedy yet, claiming the lives of eight migrant women workers at a private seafood processing unit in Tiruvallur district. Some of the 68 hospitalized workers are in intensive care on oxygen support. Since the 1980s, the state has been grappling with ammonia leaks every few years at factories, mostly in and around Chennai. Apart from Thoothukudi in 2024, where one worker died, such accidents at worst resulted in the hospitalization of large numbers of people with eye irritation and respiratory problems. There were no casualties even when an estimated 67,638 tonnes of ammonia leaked from a private company’s undersea pipeline in Ennore during Cyclone Michaung in 2023. The extent of the tragedy in St. Peter & Paul Seafood Exports Pvt. Ltd., Tiruvallur, suggests that the colorless pungent gas may have accumulated in the atmosphere in lethal concentrations. The leak occurred while the workers were resting in the factory accommodation on Sunday. If the incident had occurred on a weekday, the number of people exposed to the leak from the ammonia pipe to the flake ice machine could be significantly higher.

While a committee comprising Director Industrial Safety and Health (DISH), Member Secretary TN Pollution Control Board and Additional Director Public Health is conducting the investigation, disturbing facts have emerged. The plant allegedly failed to correct serious deficiencies highlighted by an earlier DISH inspection, including the absence of a proper alarm system and fire hydrant. It also failed to get revised approval for the plan to install the ice chipping machine. That thing is the judiciary. The investigation will reveal whether these deficiencies had any effect on this tragedy. However, it is clear that if the recommendations made by DISH in the Ennore case were universally applied in ammonia plants, the scale of the current tragedy could be reduced. DISH recommended that adequate early warning ammonia sensors be provided in the plant and surrounding areas, along with water curtain systems linked to ammonia detectors and fire water nozzles for ammonia pumps to reduce the impact of spills. The government has now decided to form a committee to check all 6669 hazardous industries. However, there are numerous checks and balances under the Tamil Nadu Major Industrial Accident Hazard Control Rules, 1994. Strong enforcement through a coordinated approach, tougher penalties for violators and the political will to act decisively against them are required.

Published – 23 Jun 2026 0:20 AM IST