Biogas leak in Leiden triggers NL Alert, massive response; Another NL Alert in Botlek
Last update at 14:08
A biogas leak at a wastewater treatment plant in Leiden triggered a massive emergency response in Leiden on Thursday morning. The authorities issued an NL Alert, evacuating immediate residents and warning others to keep windows closed. The warning has since been lifted. About 40 kilometers away, a substance leak in the Botlek port area in Rotterdam also triggered an NL Alert.
The report of an accident involving dangerous substances at Rijnland’s Hoogheemraadschap wastewater treatment plant came in at around 8:45 a.m. Biogas leaked from an overpressure protection device on a storage tank, Omroep West reported. The emergency services responded en masse, including the fire brigade, police, and ambulance services.
First responders evacuated the homes around the treatment plant, as well as the Vlietpark campsite. Pupils from a nearby primary school, Fortgensschool in Voorschoten, were kept inside as a precaution.
A little after 11:00 a.m., the emergency services issued an NL-Alert for the area between Voorschoterweg and Hofvlietweg, and the N206 and N343 in Leiden. “Go inside and stay inside. Close windows and doors and turn off ventilation. If you are outside between the Voorschoterweg and the Hofvlietweg, leave the area towards the N206,” it read.
An hour later, the fire brigade reported that the leak had been stopped. And at 1:15 p.m., the NL Alert was lifted because the danger had passed.
About 40 kilometers away, a company in the Botlek area in Rotterdam also suffered a leak. The substance that leaked is a substance that is added to natural gas to make it smell. The substance is harmless, but it has a very strong and penetrating smell.
A spokesperson for Veiligheidsregion Rotterdam-Rijnmond told Rijnmond that the smell could be smelled as far away as Antwerp in Belgium. Due to the wind direction, a strong gas smell is also hovering in Spijkenisse and the area south of it.
The Veiligheidsregio sent an NL Alert in Spijkenisse, other parts of Voorne Putten, the Hoeksche Waard, and Goeree-Overflakkee, informing locals about what’s going on. The smell will eventually evaporate. The Veiligheidsregio spokesperson stressed that this seems like a gas leak, but “this is certainly not the case.”
