Bhopal’s toxic waste: A 40-year journey
After decades of struggle, Bhopal residents see hope as the government begins removing 337 MT of toxic waste from the 1984 gas tragedy site.
When Mahesh Pal moved to the Nishatpura area in Bhopal in 2000, the gas tragedy that claimed over 5,000 lives in the neighbourhood didn’t figure high on his list of concerns. After all, a decade-and-a-half had passed since the world’s worst industrial disaster, the infamous plant was long shut, and even the scarred city was beginning to heal. Pal saw that housing prices were cheaper than what they were elsewhere in the Madhya Pradesh capital, and didn’t think twice before moving with his family of seven.
He was wrong. Within ayear, he and his father developed a skin ailment, followed by joint pains. The reason, according to experts, was the local groundwater contaminated by the industrial waste that had been dumped into the soil.
“Our locality is just 1km from the UCIL (Union Carbide India Limited)factory. My family is now battling facing skin, liver and other diseases due to contaminated water. We moved pillar to post but nothing happened for years,” said Pal, 42.
This Wednesday, though, a crinkled smile replaced the severe furrows on Pal’s face as a convoy of 40 trucks drove into the neighbourhood, ready to pick up the 337 metric tonnes of toxic waste left over from that fateful 1984 accident. The convoy – almost a kilometre long – pulled into the Pithampur industrial area, roughly 200km away, in the early hours of Thursday. “We are very happy as at least 40 years after the tragedy, the state government has started acting to clear the waste. It increases our hope of getting clean water one day,” said Pal.
Since December 3, 1984, when tonnes of lethal methyl isocyanate gas sheathed Bhopal in a dome of death and poisoned thousands of people, the city has been divided into two kinds of victims – those who were exposed to the toxic fumes; and those whose exposure to the local environment, contaminated due to the abandoned industrial waste that lay unattended for decades – caught in a legal tangle.
Pal and his neighbours were in the second category that spanned 20neighbourhoods and roughly200people, across four generations.
Activist ND Jayprakash, a survivor of the Bhopal Gas tragedy, said, “Many localities started getting fresh tap water, but a large number of people are still waiting for basic clean water. A team of doctors checked them and found heavy metals in the water, which had adverse effects on their health.”
Finally, after decades of struggle, these people have got hope.
Cleaning with careThe work to transfer the waste began at 9am on December 29. It took nearly 100 hours to pack, load and transport the toxic waste lying above the ground in five different forms in the compound of the UCIL factory in Nishatpura. These 100 hours were the toughest for nearly 400 workers and drivers from Re Sustainability Limited, earlier known as Ramky Enviro Limited, as well as experts, police personnel and residents.
“In every two hours, we used to work for 30 minutes only. The latest equipment was fitted on our body to check health parameters. We were specially trained but this was a totally different experience because this was Bhopal, this was the worst industrial disaster,” said a worker, requesting anonymity.
A senior employee of Re Sustainability said the removal of hazardous waste was challenging. “The remains of pesticide, chemicals, soil and reactors reminded us of the horrifying pictures of the tragedy but everything was done safely,” he added. The company declined to comment when approached.
Gas relief and rehabilitation director Swatantra Kumar Singh said the total hazardous waste was 337 MT but increased to 358 MT as workers had to dispose of water bottles, PPE kits, gloves, food plates and other items. “The workers were provided lodging at the site only because their health check-ups were being done regularly. The travel to Pithampur included not just drivers but also fire tender officials, police personnel, health experts, pollution control board officials and disaster management team,” he added.
A slow journeyThe trucks left for Pithampur at 9.20pm on Wednesday night. Traffic on the arterial Mumbai highway was stopped for the spill-proof containers to pass through.
“We have expertise in transporting hazardous waste but carrying the toxic waste of Bhopal was like performing the last rites of thousands. Our trucks were equipped with food, water and other facilities but the journey was non-stop,” said a driver, whose identity cannot be revealed due to security reasons.
No stops were allowed, not even for the drivers to relieve themselves.
“Being a part of a long cavalcade and running a container truck at a constant speed was no less than a war for us. I will not forget this night as there was no chance of a minor mistake too,” added the driver.
On the way, the convoy caused snarls spanning 2-3km at Sehore and Dewas, but no one was complaining. “The trucks were running at the speed of 40-50 km per hour with fire brigade, police personnel, doctors in ambulance and first response team. We are happy that trucks reached Pithampur safely without any interruption,” said HN Mishra, commissioner of Bhopal Police.
The trucks pulled into Pithampur at 4.30amon Thursday.
Getting rid of wasteThe waste will be incinerated at a Common Hazardous Waste Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Facility (CHW-TSDF) designed to handle and dispose of hazardous waste with precision and safety. According to a plan shared by the government, the waste will be first put in the rotary kiln that operates at 850°C to 1200°C followed by a secondary combustion chamber that operates to destroy volatile organic compounds with 99.99% efficiency, finally waste feeding systems will introduce bulk solids into the incinerator and use compressed air for fine atomisation, ensuring efficient combustion of liquid hazardous waste.
“The disposal will not affect the environment of Pithampur. The plant has air pollution control devices (APCDs) for effective emission management, packed bed scrubber to neutralise acidic gases. The plant has real-time monitoring systems to track key pollutants,” said Swatantra Kumar Singh. The non-incinerable hazardous waste will be disposed of at a secured landfill facility which has multilayered liners constructed with geosynthetics to prevent leachate seepage and to safeguard groundwater, said Singh.
Chief minister Mohan Yadav said action was being taken as per the Supreme Court’s directive for the disposal of waste. “The harmful effects of about 337 MT of waste in Bhopal have ended. More than 60% of the remaining waste is only local soil, and the rest is 7-naphthol, reactor residues and semi-processed pesticide waste,” said the CM.
On December 3, 2024, the Madhya Pradesh high court ordered the removal of the toxic waste within four weeks, a judgment that finally spurred action on the ground.
Not everyone is happy – especially in Pithampur. “The hazardous waste, which didn’t find any place for incineration elsewhere, is going to be disposed of in Pithampur, which is already facing environmental issues due to industrial waste,” said local resident Sandeep Raghuvanshi. “Now, we will observe January 2 as a Black Day and fight against the disposal.”
It’s not over yetThis is not the end of the road, though, for Bhopal. According to a2010report of the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), about 1.1 million tonnes of toxic waste has been dumped in the soil and solar evaporation pond, affecting groundwater in more than a dozen localities.
“The government is not talking about the 1.1 million tonnes dumped at 21 places. This waste has already contaminated water and soil,” Bhopal gas survivor activist Rachna Dhingra said. Swatantra Kumar Singh said if the authorities receive a court order, they will act in accordance.
But for other people such as Bhagwati Prasad Pandey, the first day of the new year was laced with the hope of a healthier future. The retired government employee counted about 70 families in his neighbourhood suffering from health issues due to contaminated groundwater. “At least 10-12 families have locked their houses and shifted to other places. But I spent my whole income in 2010 to purchase this house. I can’t go anywhere,” he said. “Waiting for the government to act is our only option. So the shifting of waste has given us hope.”
Recommended Topics 