Toxic waste removed from Union carbide factory after 40 years
Indian authorities have removed hundreds of tons of toxic waste from an Indian chemical plant that was the site of one of the world’s deadliest natural gas leaks 40 years ago.
In December, the court set a four-week deadline for disposal of the waste.
About 337 tons of toxic waste were transported on Wednesday from a Union Carbide plant in the central Indian city of Bhopal to an incineration plant about 230 kilometers (143 miles) away.
Officials say it will take three to nine months to process and destroy the waste, but activists have raised concerns about potential damage to the health of community residents at the new site.
thousands of people dead In December 1984, after inhaling toxic gases leaking from a factory in Bhopal.
Since then, toxic materials have remained in the sealed factory, contaminating groundwater in surrounding areas.
The toxic waste removed from the factory this week included five hazardous substances, including pesticide residues and “forever chemicals” left behind by the manufacturing process. These chemicals get their name because they retain their toxicity indefinitely.
For decades, these chemicals at abandoned factory sites have been slowly seeping into the surrounding environment, causing ongoing health hazards to people in nearby areas.
A 2018 study by the Indian Institute of Toxicology showed that high concentrations of metals and chemicals contaminated groundwater in 42 residential areas near the factory.
After decades of inaction, the Madhya Pradesh High Court on December 3 gave authorities a four-week deadline to deal with toxic waste at the site.
The court said the authorities “remain inert despite 40 years”.
On Sunday, officials began removing the trash by putting it into leak-proof bags. The bags were loaded onto 12 sealed trucks on Wednesday.
Officials said the transportation of waste was carried out under tight security.
There were police escorts, ambulances, fire brigade and rapid response teams as well as a fleet of trucks carrying waste, The Indian Express reported.
Swatantra Kumar Singh, director of the Bhopal Gas Disaster Relief and Rehabilitation Department, told the Press Trust of India news agency that initially, part of the waste will be incinerated at the disposal unit in Pitampur and Check whether its residues are toxic.
He said special arrangements have been made to ensure that smoke from the incinerators or ash left after incineration does not pollute the air and water.
But activists and people living near the disposal site have been protesting against the move.
In 2015, they said, the plant destroyed a small amount of waste from the carbide plant on a trial basis, Hindustan Times reported.
It ended up contaminating soil, groundwater and freshwater bodies in nearby villages, they said.
Singh denied the claims, saying burning toxic waste would not have “any adverse impact” on nearby villages.
But Rachna Dhingra of the International Movement for Justice in Bhopal told BBC World Service that the transfer of waste would “create a slow-motion Bhopal” at the new location.
Officials have made several attempts over the years to deal with waste from the Bhopal plant but abandoned the plans after facing resistance from activists.
In 2015, the Indian Pollution Control Board said toxic waste would be incinerated in Gujarat, but the plan was abandoned after protests.
The committee later identified sites in Hyderabad and Maharashtra as well but faced similar resistance.
The Bhopal gas tragedy is one of the world’s largest industrial disasters.
According to government estimates, about 3,500 people died in the days after the gas leak, and more than 15,000 died in the years that followed.
But activists say the death toll is much higher. Even today, victims continue to suffer from the side effects of the poisoning.
In 2010, an Indian court convicted seven former managers of the factory and sentenced them to small fines and short prison sentences. But many victims and activists say given the gravity of the tragedy, justice has yet to be served.
Union Carbide is an American company acquired by The Dow Chemical Company in 1999.
