Toxic Waste from Bhopal Gas Leak Removed After 40 Years
High Court Asked Govt: ‘Are you waiting for another tragedy?’
January 2, 2025
Authorities have initiated the long-overdue removal of hundreds of tonnes of toxic material from the 1984 Bhopal gas leak accident in Madhya Pradesh; however, doubts persist regarding the potential environmental consequences.
Trucks carrying 337 metric tonnes of waste left the abandoned site on Jan. 1 under tight security and headed toward a disposal facility over 200 kilometres away. The convoy, comprising 12 sealed containers, was accompanied by police, ambulances and fire brigades, with local administrations maintaining a “green corridor” to facilitate swift movement.
The removal effort follows a December order from the Madhya Pradesh High Court instructing the relevant authorities to clear the waste within a month. According to The Times of India, the judges asked, “Are you waiting for another tragedy?”
In 1984, methyl isocyanate gas leaked from a Union Carbide plant in this region, leading to thousands of immediate deaths and poisoning of over half a million people. The disaster inflicted severe health complications for survivors and exposed surrounding communities to pollution for decades.
Testing of groundwater near the accident site has revealed carcinogenic substances at levels vastly exceeding–50 times–safe limits, according to DW.
The convoy took about seven hours to reach its destination, where an incineration process is slated to occur within three to nine months.
Rachna Dhingra, an activist in the vicinity who has long worked with survivors of the tragedy, was quoted as saying, “Why is the polluter Union Carbide and Dow Chemical not being compelled to clean up its toxic waste in Bhopal?”
Local industrialists at the disposal site are concerned about health and safety.
Employees were frightened, according to Dr. Darshan Kataria, an industrialist near the incineration facility. He was quoted as saying that they had been receiving calls from family members of the employees who are concerned about the situation. Another industrialist, Rajendra Modi, was quoted as saying, “What occurred in Bhopal was an unfortunate accident, but what is happening now can be handled by taking everyone in confidence.”
The BBC reported that a small amount of the factory’s waste was to be sent to other states in past years, but resistance from local populations halted those efforts.
In 2015, the Indian pollution control board proposed incineration at a facility in Gujarat, which was later withdrawn due to protests. Subsequent attempts to transport the material to other locations also faced setbacks.
Officials have since stressed that the disposal site now chosen in Madhya Pradesh has specially prepared infrastructure, including a leakproof concrete floor and measures to prevent any toxic ash from contaminating land or water.
In 2010, an Indian court sentenced seven former plant managers to brief prison terms and fined them small amounts. Activists contend that the scale of suffering has not been matched by corporate or governmental accountability, saying the most vulnerable communities continue to endure the aftermath.
A study published by the British Medical Journal Open in June 2023 indicated that the catastrophic effects of the Bhopal gas disaster continued to impact new generations nearly four decades later. Males exposed to the gas in utero were facing significant health challenges, including a 27-fold increased risk of cancer and disabilities affecting their employment, as reported by Forbes.
