Hazardous Waste Disposal from Bhopal Gas Tragedy Begins

 Bhopal: The process for the disposal of the hazardous waste of Union Carbide plant here, the site of Bhopal gas tragedy of 1984, has been set in motion with the visit of high-level official teams at the disposal site at Pithapuram in Indore in Madhya Pradesh for inspection on Wednesday.

Around 337 tons of poisonous waste in liquid form have been stored in the premises of the now-closed plant of Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) after the gas tragedy and are set to be incinerated at the Common Hazardous Waste Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facility (CHWTSDF) at Pithapuram, around 25 km from Indore.

Teams of officials of Bhopal gas tragedy relief and rehabilitation department, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), and Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board (MPPCB) have visited the disposal site to assess the preparedness, official sources said.

“In accordance with government directives, we are committed to completing the Union Carbide waste disposal project with the highest standards of safety, transparency and compliance with legal provisions”, director, Bhopal gas tragedy relief and rehabilitation department Swatantra Kumar Singh said.

The UC waste disposal has been scientifically and strategically planned, ensuring compliance with all regulatory norms, he said.

The Supreme Court in 2014 had directed incineration of Union Carbide waste and assessment of the environmental impact of the waste disposal.

Accordingly, trial runs of ten tons of hazardous waste of Union Carbide plant were conducted successfully at the Pithapuram facility on August 13-18, 2015.

Following this, the oversight committee constituted to monitor the disposal process had decided to carry out the disposal of the remaining 337 tons of waste through the process of incineration, sources said.

The disposal of UCIL waste is now being carried out in accordance with the directions of Jabalpur high court (dated December three, 2024), official sources said.