On August 4, the explosion in Lebanon’s capital city, Beirut, gripped the attention of the entire world. Although several theories were initially floated, the most likely cause, at least at the time of writing, is gross negligence by the port authorities in handling large amounts of ammonium nitrate. The realisation that mishandling of the compound can lead to such widespread devastation led to introspection by authorities across the globe, who now fear that a similar incident could occur in their own countries. Consequently, monitoring agencies and government officials are racing to check their ammonium nitrate storages, ensuring adherence to safety and fire protocols, and reassessing policies on the import and sale of the chemical.
Among these countries is India. As a direct result of the incident in Beirut, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs in India instructed ports and warehouses across the country with stores of ammonium nitrate to ensure that they were meeting safety and fire standards. Subsequently, a port in Visakhapatnam was found to have 18,500 tonnes of the chemical stored on its premises. Further, a facility in Chennai was reported to have 700 tonnes of abandoned ammonium nitrate since 2015. While the consignment in Chennai has been sold off to a fertiliser plant in Hyderabad, the question arises as to why such a lapse occurred to begin with, and what changes need to be pursued in Indian authorities’ handling of ammonium nitrate.
Other countries have previously initiated significant changes in their handling of ammonium nitrate by learning their lesson the hard way. For instance, in 2001, France witnessed a massive explosion caused by the improper storage of ammonium nitrate, leading to the death of 31 people. Consequently, the European Union (EU) mandated storage of the compound with Calcium Carbonate, which then forms the much safer compound, calcium ammonium nitrate. Similarly, following an incident in the state of Texas in the United States (US) in 2013 that lead to 15 deaths, a law to mandate regular inspection of facilities that house over 900 kilograms of ammonium nitrate was implemented. Indian authorities must not wait for a similar incident and should initiate changes in rules and regulations right away.
Several commentators are calling for a complete ban on the sale and import of the chemical. However, this is an unviable and an excessive solution, specifically for India. To begin with, India is highly dependent on the compound and consumes over 700,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate a year. It is not only used as a fertiliser but is also a crucial component for commercial explosives, used for mining and construction activities. More importantly, the chemical in and of itself is not the problem, as, on its own, it is not flammable.
Accidents related to ammonium nitrate are a consequence of improper handling of the chemical. There are two ways in which the incident can occur—first, if the stored ammonium nitrate is ignited after coming into contact with an explosive substance, and, second, if a fire in the premises ignites the stored compound. In the case of Beirut, the second explanation was the likely cause of the explosion. Hence, the focus of policymakers should not be on controlling the sale and import of the substance, but rather on proper storage. Authorities must ensure that the chemical is stored in limited quantities, while also making sure that the storage area is properly ventilated. Moreover, exposure of the chemical to flammables must be avoided at any cost, thereby requiring the storage facility to adhere to stringent fire safety norms.
The question of storage becomes even more concerning when it overlaps with another significant issue faced by Indian authorities—abandoned imported consignments of ammonium nitrate. The 700 tonnes found in the Chennai port and the ammonium nitrate that caused the Beirut blast are both examples of such abandoned shipments. This is generally a consequence of a drop in the market value of the imported good, which then makes it economically unviable for the importer to claim the goods.
What is surprising is that, despite the laws for such consignments being quite robust, the issue still persists. To begin with, there are several safeguards to prevent abandoned shipments of hazardous chemicals like ammonium nitrate. The Manufacture, Storage and Import of Chemical Rules require importers of the compound to provide details such as the name and address of the importer, port of entry, and assurance of the quality of the chemical (whether it is fertiliser grade or explosive grade) as a prerequisite to importing it. Further, every individual or company who wishes to import ammonium nitrate requires a corresponding import license, which needs to be secured from the Petroleum and Safe Organisation (PESO) in Nagpur. Moreover, Indian laws are also equipped to deal with situations in which the chemical is imported and remains unclaimed. The Major Port Trust Act, 1963, permits the Port Trust to auction or sell unclaimed perishable goods in less than a month. Furthermore, the ammonium nitrate Rules, passed in 2012, also requires that such large quantities of ammonium nitrate must be stored away from populated areas. Additionally, any storage facility must be appropriately licensed.
However, these laws are hardly enforced or adhered to in India. When authorities are informed of abandoned consignments, the accepted practice is generally to give repeated notices to the importer, which can take several months. Further, the procedure also involves several players, including the port authorities, custom departments, and courts, a problem which is compounded by the fact that India is infamous for its extremely tedious and inefficient administrative process. This often leads to “file-pushing” and finger-pointing by the authorities, which indefinitely delays the resolution of the issue.
This then leads to authorities blatantly flouting the laws, endangering the lives of thousands, as evidenced by the consignment found in Chennai. The ammonium nitrate from Chennai was imported from South Korea, and, while the importer claimed to be bringing in the compound for the production of fertiliser, the ammonium nitrate was actually explosive grade, for which the importer did not have a license. Moreover, the consignment has been lying abandoned for over five years now, thereby shooting far past the timeline in the legal framework for its auction. The port was also situated merely 700 metres from a residential area. Hence, before we speak of the need to introduce further checks in the existing system, there is a dire need to ensure strict enforcement of the current legal framework.
Ammonium nitrate is merely one such chemical compound that is imported into India and has only recently been brought into the limelight and exposed to public scrutiny. There are many more such hazardous chemicals, for which appropriate storage and timely disposal of abandoned consignments is extremely important. Admittedly, calling for a drastic overall systemic change to tackle issues like corruption and inefficiency in the government is impractical and far-fetched. However, the need to introduce such changes, specifically in dealing with hazardous chemicals, is both pressing and necessary. Hopefully, unlike the US and the EU, India will awaken to this realisation sooner, rather than waiting to introduce dramatic changes as a knee-jerk response to a catastrophe.
The Beirut Disaster: Important Lessons for India in its Handling of Ammonium Nitrate
India consumes over 700,000 tonnes of Ammonium Nitrate a year.
August 13, 2020
SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES