Vedanta: Sulphuric acid leak in Thoothukudi is severe
In a petition to the Madras High Court, Vedanta Ltd. has said that a sulphuric acid leak at its Sterlite copper plant in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi, which was initially reported as minor, is severe and could have potentially disastrous consequences for people, as well as the environment. The district administration, however, still maintains that the leak is minor. Here's what we know.
Vedanta wants temporary power supply to fix the leak
In its petition to the Madras High Court, Vedanta also sought a temporary reconnection of power supply to the Sterlite copper plant so it could take preventive actions and stop the sulphuric acid leak from affecting human lives, and damaging the air and ground water. The Sterlite plant, which has been shut for three months now, annually produces about a tonne of sulphuric acid.
Vedanta explains the risks in its petition
"There is a severe leakage in the pipe flanges and...the pipe flanges are submerged in the acid pool collected in the dykes around the acid storage tank. There is a grave risk and danger as there are other tanks...[and] flammable chemicals," said Vedanta's petition.
The leak was first reported on Sunday
The leakage was first reported on Sunday, when the district administration called it a minor leak, and said that it would empty the sulphuric acid storage tanks as a safety precaution. Vedanta had then said that such incidents could be avoided if the Tamil Nadu government gave it temporary power supply to carry out routine and mandatory safety audits regularly.
Vedanta, government not engaging with each other
Meanwhile, Vedanta says that it's unable to meet government officials owing to tensions created by the anti-Sterlite protest which saw 13 people get killed by police. And if an unnamed senior official is to be believed, the government has no plans of engaging with Vedanta any time soon either. While not too many other details are known, what'll happen next remains to be seen.
