Panic gripped the area after many people complained of an obnoxious odor in the air.
Senior officials of Kribhco said around 11.30 pm on Thursday pressure in the heavy water plant had increased, leading to malfunctioning of a safety valve and subsequent leakage of ammonia gas for about half an hour.
The leakage caused panic among people in the coastal villages of Dumas, Bhimpore, Sultanabad near Surat and Umbhrat and Dandi in Navsari district.
Following complaints from the people to the district collector J B Vohra, pollution control board officials studied the wind direction for a couple of hours and found that the stink emanated from the Kribhco complex, which also houses a large urea manufacturing facility.
