Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Lethal Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) is still trapped in three stainless steel tanks, each with a 60-tonne capacity, at the Union Carbide (UCC) Plant, according to an ex-employee of Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL).
Abdul Saeed Khan, a former worker at the plant, has claimed that these tanks were embedded in concrete at the site. Khan's statement comes after the Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Department (BGTRRD) carried out a cleanup operation following a December 3 order from the High Court.
The drive aimed to remove 337 tonnes of waste from the plant, but Khan has expressed uncertainty about the fate of the three MIC tanks, which he says remain in place.
“These were stainless steel tanks buried with MIC,” Khan said, adding that while the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had removed one of the tanks during their investigation, he has no knowledge of whether the remaining tanks were extracted during the cleanup operation. Khan said that stainless steel was used for MIC tanks as the material resists rust, making it suitable for MIC service. The tanks were designed to be refrigerated and interconnected, allowing MIC from Tank 610 (the source of the leak) to be bled into Tank 619.
.webp)
Gas tragedy survivors recall that there were three double-walled stainless steel MIC tanks at the UCIL plant, labelled Tanks 610, 611, and 619, each capable of holding 60 tonnes of liquid MIC. Moreover, waste chemicals from the plant were drained into Solar Evaporation Ponds (SEP) for gradual disintegration, while other chemicals were dumped in sheds for pesticide manufacturing, where masked workers handled them.
