Banning ammonium nitrate won't end terrorism

Increased security and intelligence gathering not a blanket ban on ammonium nitrate will help stop terrorist attacks. Vicky Nanjappa reports.

Every time bomb blasts hit an unsuspecting city, there is an outcry about the need to ban ammonium nitrate -- the main constituent used while assembling a bomb.

On July 13, serial blasts ripped through three sites in Mumbai and ammonium nitrate was found in the explosives. Though the government has stated its intention of banning ammonium nitrate, it is difficult even to regulate the sale of the product.

Terrorists continue to use ammonium nitrate thanks to its easy availability and its propensity to react to low voltage electricity due to ionisation.

Thousands of tonnes of ammonium nitrate are sold everyday in India as it is one of the major components used in fertilisers. It is also imperative for some small-scale industries like dyes and making ice-candy.

According to an official, "Due to the incompetence of the security forces, the livelihood of a million people cannot be put at risk".

Following the Mumbai blasts, the government has once again started thinking about the action to be initiated in the case of ammonium nitrate. Currently they are looking for a proper inventory to check the sale of the substance.

There have been a series of meetings at the highest levels regarding a ban and regulation of ammonium nitrate. But the chemical is difficult to regulate.

For example, if a factory purchases 500 kilogrammes of ammonium nitrate and if half a kilogram does go missing then it is next to impossible to track it. A factory worker could steal half a kilo and it goes unnoticed. Secondly there could be a weighing error which again does not help in finding the trail and lastly there could be wastage during transport which again makes the issue of tracking the explosive tough.

To prepare a bomb, a terrorist just needs half a kilogram of ammonium nitrate.

The government could consider the following options if it is really serious about tackling the problem. Ban ammonium nitrate but also find a substitute and non-explosive replacement to cater to the industries which depend on it. The quick ionisation process of the chemical can also be looked into.

A substance could be added to ammonium nitrate which reduces the ionisation process completely so that it stops acting as an explosive. While this may not be a totally foolproof solution, since a terrorist can work out a way to take out the substance preventing the ionisation, it would still mean that his job will be made a lot difficult and could put him off from using the substance.

But even banning ammonium nitrate will not deter those with fatal intentions. To put an end to terror strikes, the government needs to ensure continuous intelligence gathering and constant monitoring.