Vizag gas leak: Gujarat govt to send chemical PTBC used as neutraliser

Ahmedabad, May 07: A specialised chemical calledc, made only in Vapi town of Gujarat, will be sent to Visakhapatnam on an urgent basis to help in neutralising the effects of gas leak at a polymer plant there, a Gujarat government official said on Thursday.

A major leak from a chemical plant of LG Polymers near Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh in the wee hours of Thursday impacted villages within a five-km radius, leaving eight people dead and scores of citizens complaining of breathlessness, nausea and other problems.

Para-tertiary butyl catechol or PTBC is currently being used in Visakhapatnam to neutralise the effect of the gas leak, said Ashwani Kumar, secretary in the Gujarat chief minister's office. "This chemical, used for reducing the effects of gas in the air after a leak, is manufactured only in Vapi.

The Andhra Pradesh government requested Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani to facilitate airlifting of the chemical from Vapi to be sent there as soon as possible," Kumar said. As instructed by Rupani, senior officials have asked Valsad district collector to make necessary arrangements to procure 500 kg of the chemical. The stock will soon be airlifted from Daman where it will be taken by road from Vapi, he said.