The quantity of ammonium nitrate found from a doctor’s house in Faridabad is said to be 360 kg.
A major terrorist conspiracy has been exposed in Faridabad of Haryana state adjacent to Delhi. There, the police have recovered a huge cache of weapons and explosive materials from the house of Dr. Adil Ahmed. Earlier it was being told that the explosive recovered from the doctor’s place was RDX. However, later the police clarified that the material found there was ammonium nitrate. The quantity of ammonium nitrate found from the doctor’s house is said to be 350 kg.
Explosives are prepared from ammonium nitrate. Ammonium nitrate was used in terrorist attacks involving low intensity and high intensity blasts in the country earlier also. Earlier too, investigating agencies had recovered it in connection with several terrorist incidents. In 2019, ammonium nitrate was used in the Pulwama attack, in which 43 soldiers were martyred.
Let us know what is ammonium nitrate and how much devastation has it been able to cause? What is the legal guideline related to this?
What is ammonium nitrate?
Ammonium nitrate (NH₄NO₃) is actually a crystal-like chemical compound. It is a colorless and odorless substance, which dissolves rapidly in water. It is said to be a synthetic powder, which is made through the reaction of ammonia and nitric acid. It is produced in large quantities all over the world.
Ammonium nitrate is also widely used in industries.
Pure ammonium nitrate is not, in fact, an explosive in itself. To use it as an explosive, primary explosive or detonator like RDX or TNT is required. It is definitely highly flammable. In such a situation, there is a possibility of fire and explosion due to improper storage etc. If it comes in contact with any explosive mixture, it may explode. Apart from this, due to extensive oxidation, it can cause fire, explosion and then heat from the explosion.
Ammonium nitrate is most commonly used in industries. Apart from this, it is used as a source of nitrogen in fertilizers. Not only this, ammonium nitrate is also used in the explosives used in the mining industry.
How deadly is its explosion?
There is a possibility of rapid explosion in ammonium nitrate if it comes in contact with fire. This explosion is so powerful that it can destroy surrounding objects within a few seconds. How deadly it would have been if converted into an explosive can be gauged from the fact that 150 kg of ammonium nitrate can cause complete devastation over a distance of two to three kilometers. If its quantity is high then it becomes even more dangerous. This means that the ammonium nitrate found in Faridabad could have destroyed everything within a radius of at least six kilometers.
also pollutes the environment
Not only this, when ammonium nitrate explodes, it releases poisonous gases, which include nitrogen oxide and ammonia. Orange plume is formed due to nitrogen dioxide, which is the cause of air pollution. If there is no strong wind, it can prove dangerous for the people nearby. That means, after the explosion of ammonium nitrate, the surrounding environment also gets polluted.
Both army and terrorists use
This chemical compound i.e. ammonium nitrate has been used extensively by the armies of most countries as well as terrorists. In 1995, blasts were carried out using ammonium nitrate in America’s Oklahoma city. At that time, this chemical compound had caused so much destruction that even the souls of the spectators shuddered. A total of about two tonnes of ammonium nitrate was used in this incident. More than 168 people died in that blast.
Apart from this, its improper storage can also be dangerous. In the year 2020, there was a massive explosion in a similar stockpile of 3000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate in Beirut. It had caused huge destruction.
In 2015, 173 people died in an ammonium nitrate explosion at China’s Tianjin port. In 1947, 581 people were killed in the explosion of 2000 tons of ammonium nitrate loaded on a ship at the port of Galveston Bay in America. In 1921, more than 500 people lost their lives due to the explosion of 4500 tons of ammonium nitrate in a plant located in Oppau, Germany.
Guidelines changed after Beirut explosion
After the Beirut explosion in 2020, the Indian government amended the rules to curb theft of ammonium nitrate, enforce provisions related to fire fighting, and improve the methods of handling and storing this chemical. Under the new rules, it is mandatory that ammonium nitrate brought at ports be transferred to storage houses located at least 500 meters away from the port area. It should not be stored at ports. Apart from this, if ammonium nitrate is seized, it can also be auctioned for safe and quick disposal. Now ammonium nitrate can be imported only in bag form. There should be adequate fire fighting facilities in its storage area.
Legal guidelines related to ammonium nitrate
Globally it is classified as an oxidizing material under the United Nations Classification of Hazardous Goods. Manufacturing, bagging, import-export, transportation, possession for sale or use of ammonium nitrate in India comes under the Ammonium Nitrate Rules-2012. The Explosives Act-1884 states that ammonium nitrate (formula NH4NO3) cannot be stored in large quantities in populated areas. To make ammonium nitrate, an industrial license is required under the Industrial Development and Regulation Act-1951. Any activity related to ammonium nitrate also requires a license under the Ammonium Nitrate Rules-2012.
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