Authorities say incinerating poison is environmentally safe as activists raise alarm over potential water contamination.
Indian authorities have recently removed hundreds of tonnes of hazardous waste left over from the world’s deadliest industrial disaster that struck Bhopal over 40 years ago.
The waste, originating from the 1984 disaster that claimed the lives of over 25,000 people and caused severe health issues for many more, has been transported to a disposal facility for incineration, a process expected to take three to nine months, officials disclosed on Thursday.
In the early hours of December 3, 1984, methyl isocyanate gas leaked from a pesticide factory operated by American Union Carbide Corporation, resulting in the poisoning of over half a million residents in Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh state in India.
On Thursday morning, more than 40 years later, a convoy of trucks carried 337 metric tonnes of the hazardous substance to a waste disposal plant in Pithampur, an industrial town located 230km (142 miles) away from Bhopal.
Swatantra Kumar Singh, director of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Department, assured Reuters news agency that the waste disposal would be conducted in an environmentally safe manner that would not pose harm to the local ecosystem.
Although a trial run conducted by the federal pollution control agency in 2015 involving 10 metric tonnes of poison demonstrated emissions within acceptable national standards, activists remain concerned that the solid waste may contaminate water sources and lead to environmental issues once incinerated and buried in landfills.
Activist Rachna Dhingra, who has been assisting survivors of the tragedy in Bhopal, questioned why Union Carbide and Dow Chemical were not being compelled to clean up the toxic waste in the area.
Groundwater contamination
The Union Carbide plant, established in 1969 and now under ownership of Dow Chemical, had been a symbol of industrial progress in India, offering employment opportunities and producing affordable pesticides for farmers.
The disaster at the factory in 1984 occurred when a tank containing methyl isocyanate ruptured, releasing 27 tonnes of the toxic gas into the atmosphere, claiming the lives of around 3,500 individuals instantly and causing long-term health issues for thousands more.
Groundwater tests around the site have indicated elevated levels of cancer-causing chemicals, surpassing safety standards established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency by 50 times.
Local communities attribute various health problems, such as cerebral palsy and hearing impairments, to the accident and the subsequent groundwater contamination.
Following the 40th anniversary of the disaster, a court in Madhya Pradesh issued an order in December to clear the waste within a month, expressing concerns about the potential for another tragedy if action was delayed.
