BHUBANESHWAR, India – Indian authorities announced on Thursday the completion of the transfer of toxic waste from the site of the 1984 Bhopal gas leak disaster to a disposal facility, where it will take three to nine months to incinerate.
The Bhopal gas tragedy, which occurred in the early hours of December 3, 1984, involved a methyl isocyanate gas leak from a pesticide factory owned by American Union Carbide Corporation. This disaster resulted in the deaths of more than 5,000 people and poisoned over half a million in Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh.
Amid tight security, twelve leak-free containers carrying 337 metric tons of toxic waste arrived at the Pithampur plant, located 230 kilometers (142 miles) from Bhopal, on Thursday. Swatantra Kumar Singh, the director of Bhopal gas tragedy relief and rehabilitation department, confirmed that a trial run disposing of 10 metric tons of waste was conducted in 2015. The state government stated that the disposal of the remaining waste will be completed within three to nine months.
Singh assured that the trial run for waste disposal, conducted by the federal pollution control agency, met the prescribed national emission standards. He also stated that the disposal process is environmentally safe and will not harm the local ecosystem.
However, Rachna Dhingra, a Bhopal-based activist who has worked with survivors of the tragedy, expressed concerns over the solid waste being buried in a landfill after incineration, potentially causing water contamination and environmental issues. Dhingra questioned why Union Carbide and its successor, Dow Chemical, have not been compelled to clean up the toxic waste in Bhopal.
The Union Carbide plant, built in 1969 and now owned by Dow Chemical, was once seen as a symbol of industrialization in India, providing thousands of jobs and producing affordable pesticides for millions of farmers.