Toxic Waste Disposal of Bhopal Gas Tragedy | 02 Aug 2024

Why in News?

Recently, the Madhya Pradesh government decided to incinerate 337 Metric Tons (MT) of toxic waste from the Union Carbide facility, nearly 40 years after the Bhopal gas tragedy, 1984.

Key Points

• The central government has earmarked Rs 126 crore for the disposal of the waste.
  • The disposal process is expected to be executed in 180 days, at the incinerator of the Treatment Storage Disposal Facility (TSDF) in Pithampur, Indore.
• The disposal process involves transporting the waste from the contaminated site to the disposal site, blending it with reagents, and then incinerating it.
  • The Madhya Pradesh Department of Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation (BGTRR) will oversee the disposal.
• Challenges and Concerns:
  • The plan to incinerate the waste at the Pithampur TSDF has faced opposition from residents, leading to the suspension of further plans in 2015.
  • A 2021 National Green Tribunal (NGT) report directed the remediation of the Solar Evaporation Ponds (SEPs) located north of the factory, indicating ongoing environmental contamination.
    • The Solar Evaporation Ponds (SEPs) were used primarily to store low-level radioactive wastes contaminated with high concentrations of nitrate.
  • Traces of heavy metals and other contaminants have been found in the borewell water around the site, exceeding acceptable limits.
  • Social groups working for the rehabilitation of the gas tragedy victims have refuted claims about the safety of the incineration process, citing high levels of Dioxins and Furans detected during trial runs.