Toxic waste was sent from Bhopal in these trucks.
Indore: 40 years after the Bhopal gas tragedy, 337 tonnes of toxic waste from the Union Carbide factory was delivered to an industrial waste disposal unit (Industrial Waste Deposit Unit) in Pithampur, near Indore, on Thursday morning. Giving information about this, officials said that under tight security arrangements, the toxic waste was sent in 12 sealed container trucks to the waste deposit unit of Pithampur Industrial Area in Dhar district, 250 km from Bhopal, by making a ‘green corridor’. Officials said that a large number of police forces have been deployed around this unit, which is being run by a private company.
Protest started in Pithampur
Local citizens have started protesting against the arrival of poisonous waste from Union Carbide factory in Pithampur. He has announced to continue the protest demanding that toxic waste not be destroyed in Pithampur. A bandh has also been called for Friday in Pithampur, which has a population of about 1.75 lakh. Citizens have feared that the destruction of toxic waste in Pithampur will have a dangerous impact on human population and the environment. The state government has dismissed these apprehensions by assuring that there will be concrete arrangements for safe disposal of this waste.
Mayor of Indore made this demand
Savitri Thakur, the MP from Dhar Lok Sabha constituency in which Pithampur falls, is the Minister of State for Women and Child Development in the Central Government. Thakur said, ‘We public representatives will convey the plea of the citizens of Pithampur to the state Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and the Chief Minister will be requested to take appropriate steps.’ There is a distance of about 30 kilometers between Pithampur and Indore. Citizens of Indore are also protesting against the burning of poisonous waste of Union Carbide factory in Pithampur. Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava has demanded that the plan to destroy this waste in Pithampur should be reconsidered. He said that in this regard, a revision petition should be filed in the Madhya Pradesh High Court on behalf of the state government.
High Court had set the time limit
Let us tell you that on the intervening night of 2nd and 3rd December 1984, there was leakage of highly poisonous methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas from the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal. At least 5479 people were killed and thousands were crippled due to the gas leak. The Bhopal gas tragedy is considered one of the world’s biggest industrial disasters. On December 3, the Madhya Pradesh High Court had set a deadline of four weeks for the removal of toxic waste from the factory and warned the government that if its direction was not followed, contempt action would be taken.
‘Some part of the garbage will be burnt’
Swatantra Kumar Singh, director of the state’s Gas Relief and Rehabilitation Department, said that initially some part of the waste will be burnt in the ‘Waste Deposit Unit’ of Pithampur and the ash will be scientifically examined to find out whether it contains any harmful elements. So there is nothing left. He said that the smoke coming out from burning of waste in the incinerator will be passed through a 4 level special filter so that the surrounding air is not polluted. Singh said that every moment of this process will be recorded. He said that after the waste is incinerated and free from harmful elements, its ash will be covered with a two-layer strong membrane and buried in the landfill site so that it does not come in contact with soil and water in any way. Could.
10 tons of waste was destroyed in 2015
Singh said that a team of experts will carry out this entire process under the supervision of officials of the Central Pollution Control Board and the State Pollution Control Board. Some local activists have claimed that 10 tonnes of Union Carbide waste was destroyed as part of testing in Pithampur during 2015, polluting the soil, groundwater and water sources of nearby villages. Rejecting this claim, Singh said that the decision to dispose of this waste in Pithampur has been taken only after examining the 2015 test report and all the objections and there is no need to worry. (Language)
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