40 years after Bhopal gas tragedy, 377 tonnes of toxic waste shifted for disposal
Dhar (MP): Forty years after the devastating Bhopal gas tragedy, 377 tonnes of hazardous waste from the defunct Union Carbide factory have been shifted for disposal. The waste was transported late Wednesday night to a facility in the Pithampur industrial area of Dhar district, officials announced on Thursday.
The toxic material was carried in 12 sealed container trucks along a meticulously planned “green corridor,” covering the 250-kilometre distance from Bhopal to Pithampur in approximately seven hours. The convoy, heavily guarded by security forces, arrived at its destination at around 4:30 am on Thursday, Dhar Superintendent of Police Manoj Singh confirmed.
This move follows a December 3 directive from the Madhya Pradesh High Court, which criticised authorities for their prolonged inaction in clearing the Union Carbide site. The court, marking the 40th anniversary of the disaster, imposed a four-week deadline for the waste’s removal and warned of contempt proceedings for non-compliance.
The tragedy, caused by a leak of methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas on December 2-3, 1984, claimed at least 5,479 lives and left thousands suffering from long-term health issues. Despite the passage of four decades, the site remained a source of environmental and public health concerns. The hazardous waste will undergo incineration at the Pithampur facility. Swatantra Kumar Singh, Director of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Department, stated that the incineration process could take between three to nine months, depending on the results of initial testing. Strict measures have been implemented to prevent any environmental contamination.
“The smoke from the incinerator will pass through special four-layer filters to ensure no air pollution. Once the ash is confirmed to be free of toxic elements, it will be buried under a two-layer membrane to prevent contact with soil and water,” Singh explained. However, the decision to dispose of the waste in Pithampur has drawn criticism from local activists. They allege that a trial incineration in 2015 polluted soil and groundwater in nearby villages. Singh dismissed these claims, asserting that the current operation adheres to strict protocols established after reviewing the 2015 trial results. Protests erupted in Pithampur on Sunday over environmental and health concerns. The city, with 1.75 lakh residents, remains tense as experts, supervised by pollution boards, begin the disposal process.
