Nearly 900 tonnes of sulphuric acid have been removed until Thursday evening from the Sterlite Copper plant after a leak was detected at one of its storage units.
Collector Sandeep Nanduri said that 40 tankers carrying the acid had left the plant to various industries in Thoothukudi, Coimbatore, Salem and northern parts of Tamil Nadu. Sources said that nearly 200-300 tonnes of acid remain to be evacuated.
Meanwhile, a senior official with the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board toldThe Hindu that the material stocked inside the plant should be removed as soon as possible. “If you leave a house locked for a long time and if there’s an LPG cylinder, there are chances of an accident. So, the material should be removed,” he said.