MPPCB Issued Notice To REEL, Pithampur For Violating Water Prevention Act; Seepage From Landfills A Concern: Bhopal Gas Tragedy Survivors

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Bhopal gas tragedy survivors have urged the government to find a legal way to prevent environmental and health damage.

They shared documents revealing that in December 2024, the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board (MPPCB) issued a show-cause notice to REEL, Pithampur, for multiple violations of the Water Prevention and Control of Pollution Act, 1974. They addressed media persons in Bhopal on Monday.

The documents also highlight concerns that an excessive amount of diesel is likely to be burned, and a large quantity of hazardous ash will be generated during and after the incineration of Union Carbide’s hazardous waste.

Considering the valid concerns of Pithampur residents and nearby areas, the organizations urged the government to arrange for the transportation of hazardous waste to the USA, similar to how waste from the Unilever thermometer plant in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, was handled in 2003.

Rachna Dhingra of the Bhopal Group for Information & Action stated, “The MP Pollution Control Board issuing a show-cause notice to the operators of the Pithampur Waste Management Facility for violating the Water Prevention and Control of Pollution Act, 1974, indicates that seepage from the landfills is already contaminating groundwater in the vicinity of the facility. More significantly, reports from August and December 2024 highlight that the facility lacks statutory protection measures such as storm drains, a sump, and a circulation system. The fact that a final report from the regional office of the MP Pollution Control Board on the adequacy of the Pithampur facility remains unavailable to date should be of interest to the honorable judges deciding on this issue.”