A truck carrying hazardous waste from the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy site Rakesh Kumar Malviya
Environment

Toxic waste leaves Bhopal gas tragedy site after 40 years

Over 330 tonnes of garbage reaches Pithampur for incineration amid protests

Rakesh Kumar Malviya

Four decades after the Bhopal gas tragedy, toxic waste from the defunct Union Carbide India Ltd factory in Madhya Pradesh finally left the site on January 1, 2025, reaching Pithampur industrial area in Dhar district for disposal. The waste, totalling 337 metric tonnes, was packed under stringent security over two days, supervised by the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board. Transported in 12 containers, the convoy departed Bhopal around 9 pm and travelled 250 kilometres to Pithampur, where the waste will be incinerated.

While this has offered some relief to gas-affected areas in Bhopal, activists argue it represents only a fraction of the hazardous waste still at the site. Meanwhile, protests have erupted in Pithampur and the Malwa region against the disposal plan, although authorities have proceeded with the operation.

On the night of December 2-3, 1984, highly toxic methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas leaked from the Union Carbide plant, leading to what is widely considered the world’s worst industrial disaster. Thousands died, and its effects continue to haunt third and fourth generations of survivors. Toxic waste left on the factory premises has polluted groundwater in 42 surrounding colonies, a report from the Indian Institute of Toxicology Research had found.

Organisations representing survivors have long demanded the removal and safe disposal of this waste.

In March 2024, the Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Department signed an agreement with Pithampur Industrial Waste Management Pvt Ltd to dispose of the waste. A work plan, with timelines and guidelines, was finalised. Under a contract signed on October 7, 2024, the process — from waste incineration to reporting — was to be completed within 185 to 377 days.

On June 19, 2023, the Oversight Committee met to discuss the disposal of 337 metric tonnes of waste at the site and directed the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to immediately transfer funds for the waste disposal. The government allocated Rs 126 crore to expedite the project.

However, local protests in Pithampur, an industrial hub near Indore, delayed progress. Strong directives from the Madhya Pradesh High Court in December 2024 mandated waste removal within a month, pressuring authorities to act swiftly. On January 3, the government must submit a report to the High Court on this matter.

The issue was also raised in the Parliament. Bhopal MP Alok Sharma raised the issue in the Lok Sabha on July 30, 2023, calling for a gas memorial at the Union Carbide site to educate future generations about the disaster. However, survivors’ groups have criticised the efforts as insufficient.

Rachna Dhingra from the Bhopal Group for Information and Action emphasised the need to remove hundreds of tonnes of waste buried in 21 pits across the site, describing it as “extremely hazardous”. She also advocated that Dow Chemical, which acquired Union Carbide, bear the cost of disposal, but no concrete straps have been taken for it so far.

The hazardous waste will be incinerated by Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd, the sole company in Pithampur equipped for such operations. In 2015, 10 metric tonnes of toxic waste were destroyed here as part of a pilot project under Supreme Court directions, at a cost of Rs 1 crore. This time, 337 metric tonnes will be incinerated at 1,200 degrees Celsius.