Swift action by a team of engineers from Chemplast Mettur at the request of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) prevented an explosion in a chemical truck carrying 15 MT of Sodium hydrosulphite – a water reactive chemical – from Karaikudi to be delivered to a factory near Delhi.
On 5 August 2013, the truck had to stop near Nethimedu, Salem, when rainwater seeped into the covered tarpaulin, causing to react with the chemical, resulting in smoke emanating from the vehicle. The fire brigade was called and when they used water to mitigate the fire heavy smoke bellowed out and the danger of an explosion was imminent.
TNPCB then contacted Chemplast Mettur, whose engineers rushed to the spot around 1 am on 6 August.
They extinguished the fire with dry chemical powder (DCP) and fire extinguishers pooled from the Chemplast plant and from SAIL, Salem. Chemplast monitored the operations of the residual chemical as well, to neutralise its activity and ensure its final disposal.