MP: Trial disposal of Bhopal gas tragedy waste begins in Pithampur; parameters ‘normal’

Dhar district magistrate Priyank Mishra said that a live broadcast of the incineration process has been organised outside the unit in Pithampur

The trial incineration of 10 tonnes of waste associated with the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy began in Pithampur in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district on Friday and the initial report on air quality and other parameters is normal, a senior official said.

The state government has routinely said the waste includes soil from the defunct Union Carbide factory, reactor residue, Sevin (pesticide) residue, naphthal residue and "semi-processed" residue and all scientific evidence points to it being fully safe due to lack of methyl isocyanate gas and radioactive particles.(PTI file)

The trial disposal of 10 tonnes of waste out of the total 337 tonnes is being carried out on the orders of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

"We started the process of burning 10 tonnes of waste in the designated plant's incinerator at 3pm under strict monitoring of the MP Pollution Control Board. All reports are normal at present. Air quality and other parameters are normal," Indore division commissioner Deepak Singh, who visited the site, told reporters.

The state government has routinely said the waste includes soil from the defunct Union Carbide factory, reactor residue, Sevin (pesticide) residue, naphthal residue and "semi-processed" residue and all scientific evidence points to it being fully safe due to lack of methyl isocyanate gas and radioactive particles.

In the intervening night of December 2-3 in 1984, highly toxic methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas leaked from the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal. At least 5,479 people were killed and thousands were crippled. It is considered the world's deadliest industrial disaster.

The waste is being disposed of as per standard operating procedure set by the pollution control boards of the Centre and MP, said Dhar district magistrate Priyank Mishra, adding a live broadcast of the incineration process has been organised outside the unit in Pithampur.

Explaining the process, State Pollution Control Board regional officer Srinivas Dwivedi said five types of waste from the Union Carbide factory were mixed in appropriate proportion with a mixer in the Pithampur waste disposal plant, after which the incinerator' was heated to 850 degrees Celsius.

“Following this, 10 tonnes of waste is being put in the incinerator in instalments. The burning process will take about 72 hours. The ash, solid residue, water and gases emitted during different stages of the process of destroying the waste will also be disposed of properly,” Dwivedi said.

A large contingent of police is at the site since the area has seen protests ever since the 337 tonnes of waste was brought to Pithampur from Bhopal, some 250 kilometres away, in special trucks on January 2. The trial incineration is being carried out following an order of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on February 18. If no adverse effects are found, the process can be repeated on March 4 and 10, the HC said, adding that the report of these three tests must be submitted to it on March 27.

The Supreme Court had, on February 27, refused to interfere with the order of the Madhya Pradesh High Court to transfer and dispose of the waste related to the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy to a plant operated by a private company in Pithampur in Dhar district. The bench of Justice BR Gavai and Justice AG Masih had also refused to stay the test of disposal of waste.

Meanwhile, a functionary of Pithampur Industrial Organisation said there was no impact on staff attendance at units in the region amid the trial incineration of the waste. "The situation in Pithampur industrial area is absolutely normal during the burning of Union Carbide waste. No impact has been observed on the attendance of workers in factories. Work is going on in factories as usual," Gautam Kothari, president of Pithampur Industrial Organisation, told PTI. He also expressed satisfaction at the arrangements made in connection with the incineration. "There are 1,250 units in Pithampur industrial area where more than one lakh workers work, including migrants from other states," he said.