Ammonia leak reported in Navotas ice plant —BFP

Several workers were evacuated after an ammonia leak was reported in an ice plant in Barangay North Bay Boulevard South, Navotas City on Tuesday night, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said.

Twelve workers and three relatives of some workers were staying in the ice plant when the ammonia leak happened, according to a report of James Agustin on GMA Integrated News’ Unang Balita on Wednesday.

Based on BFP’s report, the ammonia leak started at 11:57 p.m.

Aside from evaluating the condition of the workers, authorities also partially closed the road in the area to protect motorists from possible hazards.

At 12:10 a.m. on Wednesday, responders closed a valve in the compressor room of the ice plant where the ammonia leaked.

Navotas City fire marshal Fire Superintendent Jude delos Reyes said authorities will look into the preventive maintenance measures of the ice plant.

“Doon sa pag-change nila ng kanilang mga filters, sa ammonia filters, like doon sa piping nila, 'yung pag-replace nila ng mga vaults. Kasi if there is too much pressure doon sa pipes, meron vibration, and then corrosive din 'yung ammonia so the tendency really is may wear and tear sa mga joints na ‘yun,” he said.

(When it comes to their replacement of ammonia filters, piping, and vault. Because if there is too much pressure on the pipes, there will be vibration, and considering that ammonia is corrosive, so the tendency really is there was wear and tear on the joints.)

City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) head Vonne Villanueva said ice plants would be required to comply again with the requirements before they can operate to ensure safety.

In a separate interview on Unang Balita on Wednesday, Navotas Mayor John Rey Tiangco said the ice plant has been shut down as authorities conduct their investigation into the incident.

“Siguro, ang nangyari po dito, noong pandemya hindi masyadong nakapag-maintenance kaya kung minsan nagkakaroon ng leak,” he said.

(Maybe what happened was, during the pandemic, they were not able to do much maintenance that is why a leak occurred.)

On June 20, another ammonia leak in an ice plant occurred in Navotas which left one person dead and 24 others hospitalized.

Tiangco said the BFP and other concerned agencies have been conducting monitoring and inspections to prevent such an incident. Seminars are also being held for the safety officers of the ice plants in the city. —KG, GMA Integrated News