Bhopal(Madhya Pradesh): Decades after the horrific gas leak, Union Carbide Corporation’s (UCC) defunct plant continues to contaminate soil and groundwater as around 337 Metric tons (MT) toxic chemical waste is still lying unattended at the plant.
The minister has though assured action plan for disposal of hazardous chemicals at UCC plant soon after approval of tender for cleaning the waste.
Minister for medical education and gas relief Vishvas Sarang said, “Disposal of chemical waste will gain momentum after approval of cleaning agency tender by the committee. We hope that it will be finalized soon.”
In 2012, the Supreme Court had selected the Pithampur waste treatment storage and disposal facility (TSDF) in Dhar district as the most suitable facility for incinerating the UCC waste.
Hazardous waste from Union Carbide’s Bhopal factory was to be disposed of in an incinerator run by Ramky Enviro Engineers Limited in Pithampur. Then in 2012, Madhya Pradesh government had opposed the incineration of Union Carbide hazardous waste in Pithampur.
In the affidavit filed in Supreme Court, the MP government had stated that disposing of toxic waste at TSDF facility Pithampur, which was merely 250 metres away from Tarpura village comprising 105 houses would be detrimental for people. The villagers will have to be shifted before incinerating the Bhopal Gas toxic waste which was of highly hazardous nature considering its composition. No development has taken place in this direction too.
Bhopal Group for Information and Action (BGIA) Rachna Dhingra said, “Nothing happened for disposal of chemical waste lying on UCC premises. There is no comprehensive assessment of depth and spread of contamination. More than 2 lakh people of 42 communities live in areas where soil and groundwater is contaminated with toxic chemicals like PoPs. No cleanup or remediation of toxic waste has been taken up. Toxic waste continues to find new victims every day as nothing has been done to check contamination.”
Advocate Vibhuti Jha, who had pleaded for interim relief for gas victims, said, “It is deplorable that even after 37 years, toxic chemicals at the plant have not been cleaned. The waste has been lying for decades leading to contamination of groundwater. The people living in the area are still exposed to toxic waste indirectly as they for years have been using toxic underground water.”
