 "Container trucks carry toxic waste after collecting from the Union Carbide factory for disposal at the Pithampur Industrial Waste Management Facility, January 1, 2025. PTI")
Forty years after the Bhopal gas tragedy, the process of shifting toxic waste from the Union Carbide factory in Madhya Pradesh’s capital began. On Wednesday (January 1) night, 337 metric tonnes of chemical waste stored in 12 containers was sent to a disposal plant in Pithampur amid tight security.
These special containers carrying hazardous waste were transported through a 250 km-long green corridor. This comes after the Madhya Pradesh High Court gave a four-week deadline on December 3, 2024 to dispose of the toxic waste material.
Let’s take a closer look.
1984 Bhopal gas tragedy
In 1984, highly toxic methyl isocyanate (MIC) leaked from American company Union Carbide’s pesticide factory in Bhopal, exposing around five lakh people to the poisonous gas.
Bhopal gas tragedy, as it has come to be known, was one of the worst humanitarian and environmental disasters in the world. The official number of deaths was 2,259, which remains disputed. An estimated 574,000 people were poisoned in Bhopal as 40 tonnes of toxic methyl isocyanate gas was released into the air.
Over 20,000 people have died since the night of the disaster from related conditions.
Union Carbide regularly dumped highly toxic chemical waste inside and outside their factory premises in Bhopal for 15 years before the disaster.
According to a government-commissioned study in 2010, there are 11 lakh tonnes of contaminated soil, one tonne of mercury, and nearly 150 tonnes of underground dumps in the factory premises.
However, the Central government is funding the disposal of just 337 tonnes of waste collected 18 years ago and stored in a shed in the facility of Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL), a subsidiary of the US-based Union Carbide Corporation (UCC), which is now part of Dow Chemicals.
How the toxic waste was relocated
The 337 metric tonnes of toxic waste reached a disposal facility in Pithampur, 230 km from Bhopal, in the wee hours of Thursday (January 2).
Twelve leak-free containers, each containing about 30 tonnes of waste, departed from the abandoned Union Carbide site in Bhopal last night.
As per an Indian Express report, the relocation process began on Sunday afternoon with the waste being packed into bags over four days. The toxic waste was packed into jumbo HDPE (high-density polyethylene) non-reactive liners to prevent any chemical reactions during transport.
About 200 workers, each operating in short 30-minute shifts, were involved in the relocation process.
More than 50 labourers were tasked with filling the bags with toxic waste. They were given PPE kits for their safety and underwent health checks later.
The process of packing and loading hazardous waste, consisting of soil, pesticide residues and chemicals, was done in the sealed 200-meter radius of the factory, reported The New Indian Express (TNIE).
The fire-resistant containers were equipped with GPS tracking for real-time monitoring of their movement.
More than 100 police personnel were stationed to ensure the safe transport of the waste from Bhopal to Pithampur.
“To ensure safety, traffic within a 2-kilometre radius around the containers has been stopped, with similar measures in place throughout the route. Five police vehicles are escorting the convoy,” a senior police officer was quoted as saying by Indian Express.
The vehicles reached the Pithampur factory where the waste will be disposed of around 4.30 am on Thursday, Dhar Superintendent of Police Manoj Singh told PTI over the phone.
It will take three to nine months to incinerate the waste.
Bhopal gas tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Department Director Swatantra Kumar Singh said to PTI, “If everything is found to be fine, the waste will be incinerated within three months. Otherwise, it might take up to nine months.”
Concerns about toxic waste disposal
Activists and residents of Pithampur have expressed concerns about the waste disposal in the industrial town near Indore.
In 2015, a trial run for the disposal of 10 metric tons of toxic waste was carried out at the Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Facility (TSDF) in Pithampur. Local activists allege that the soil, underground water and water sources in surrounding villages were polluted after the trial run, as per PTI.
Speaking to Reuters, Rachna Dhingra, a Bhopal-based activist who has worked with survivors of the Bhopal gas tragedy, said that after burning the solid waste, it would be buried in a landfill, which could contaminate water and lead to environmental concerns.
“Why is the polluter Union Carbide and Dow Chemical not being compelled to clean up its toxic waste in Bhopal,” Dhingra said.
Bhopal gas tragedy relief department director has rejected the claims, saying there is no risk to the environment, land, or people around the disposal plant at Pithampur.
Several people took to the streets in Pithampur to protest the disposal of toxic waste in the city. Local industrialist workers are also concerned about the development.
To quell anxiety among the locals in Pithampur, MP pollution control board regional officer in Indore Shriniwas Dwivedi said in a video statement, “A special shed has been created with a concrete floor. It is leakproof.”
“No activity will be carried out that will affect the people, farm, property, land or environment,” he added, as per Times of India (TOI).
With inputs from agencies