The city of Bhopal is witnessing the removal of toxic waste left behind by the infamous 1984 Union Carbide gas tragedy. After four decades of contamination, 337 metric tonnes of hazardous materials are being transported from the abandoned factory site in Bhopal to a specialized disposal plant in Pithampur.
This major operation, which commenced on December 31, 2024, is being conducted with the utmost security and safety measures in place.
The hazardous waste, which has been stored at the Union Carbide factory since the gas leak disaster, is being moved under heavy security. Twelve specially designed, leak-proof containers have been used to transport the materials. Each container holds approximately 30 tonnes of waste, securely packed in jumbo HDPE bags to prevent any chemical reactions during transit.
It runs in a 250-kilometer-long green corridor, along with ambulances, fire brigades, and police cars that accompany the convoy for security purposes.
#MadhyaPradesh: 40 years after Bhopal gas tragedy, toxic waste lifted from Union Carbide factory for safe disposal.#BhopalGasTragedy pic.twitter.com/F7sCgT17H8
— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) January 2, 2025
Fifty policemen have been put on the task to accompany the trucks. The police commissioner has declared that the entire exercise is conducted with the strictest safety precautions in place and that an ASP rank officer will be supervising the whole process. The area around the factory within a radius of 200 meters was closed before the transport.
Mega Exercise In Garbage Removal
The transportation of the waste involved a lot of planning and coordination. Around 200 workers participated in the operation, working in short 30-minute shifts to ensure safety. They were provided with personal protective equipment (PPE) to minimize exposure to the toxic substances. Despite the large-scale effort, there has been considerable resistance from civil society in Pithampur, where the waste is being sent for disposal.
Local organizations in Pithampur have complained about the safety and environmental risks while taking the waste to be disposed of at the local facility. More than ten local organizations have cited a shutdown in protest, demanding the waste be sent overseas and not burnt here in Pithampur. Doctors belonging to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital Alumni Association in Indore also petitioned against the process of disposal, demanding more proper trails so that it can prove safe in all ways.
What Is Disposal Process Of Toxic Waste?
The hazardous waste will be incinerated safely by the high-tech incineration facility in Pithampur, the only such facility in the state. The facility is operated by Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd. while strictly adhering to the guidelines laid down by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The collection of solid waste will be set alight on a specially designed wooden platform 25 feet high from the ground according to scientifically sound protocols for incineration.
The disposal will be done in phases, but at a primary incineration rate of 90 kg/h. This speed will take nearly 153 days to fully dispose of the 337 tonnes of toxic materials. However, this speed can be doubled to 270 kg/h to reduce the time to 51 days. The process will monitor the air quality through the installation of equipment in three different places in the campus of the factory. The area where the waste was kept is also going to be tested for dust and soil to ensure no environmental contamination occurs.
What’s In The Waste?
The waste consists of five types of hazardous materials, including soil, pesticide residues, and chemicals from the manufacturing processes at the Union Carbide factory. This waste is a byproduct of the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy, which resulted in the deaths of over 5,000 people due to the release of methyl isocyanate gas.
The Pithampur plant successfully incinerated 90 kg of waste per hour in a trial run conducted in 2015. Following this success, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has directed the remaining waste to be disposed of by January 6, 2025, marking the final chapter in a long-standing environmental issue. The disposal of the remaining waste is considered to be an important step in mitigating the environmental and health risks left by the 1984 disaster.
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