40 years on, govt still hasn't removed toxic waste from Bhopal gas tragedy site

Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL), the site of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, still contains hundreds of tonnes of toxic waste nearly 40 years later.

Officials have said that, despite multiple court orders and warnings, government authorities have failed to manage the proper disposal of the waste.

Documents show that the Union government allocated ₹126 crore to the Madhya Pradesh government for the disposal of 337 MT of toxic waste, which was collected and stored at the site in 2005.

However, a 2010 government report revealed the presence of over 11 lakh tonnes of contaminated soil, one tonne of mercury, and nearly 150 tonnes of underground waste in addition to the 337 MT of toxic waste.

The report noted that the 2005 waste collection was incomplete and recommended excavation for proper rehabilitation.

A 'peer review committee' was formed in 2010 to examine government studies but has yet to complete its full evaluation after 14 years.

Although ₹126 crore was released in March 2023 for disposing of the 337 MT of waste, the MP government has yet to begin the process due to administrative issues.

In June 2023, an oversight committee suggested new studies on soil and groundwater contamination.

A government official confirmed that a proposal for reassessment of toxicity after the 2010 study was submitted six months ago but has not made much progress.

Numerous investigations have found that groundwater near the site is contaminated with heavy metals, posing health risks.

Experts warn that the contamination could spread further. The Madhya Pradesh government has not yet responded to the issue.

Answering about the rest of the waste and the reassessment, the official said, “A proposal for reassessment of the toxicity after the 2010 study was also submitted to the state government about six months back, but that has also not made much headway. The government is first trying to deal with the 337 MT of waste and then look into the rest of it.”

Numerous government and non-governmental investigations conducted over the years have discovered that the groundwater in various residential areas outside the facility is tainted with heavy metals and other harmful compounds, which may cause cancer and various other diseases.

Experts now warn that the contamination could spread even more. The MP government remained silent on the matter.

Solid, semi-solid, liquid, and tarry wastes produced during the production of pesticides and related chemicals are the main source of the issue.

UCIL disposed of these wastes in their factory premises between 1969 and 1984 after it closed following the tragic gas leak that happened on the intervening night of Dec 2 and 3, 1984.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) criticized the government on March 20 for its negligence, saying, “It is a known fact that the chemical waste where it is accumulated is creating leachate and further contaminating the surface water and underground water, and in the rainy seasons, by flow to the other places, the water of the river bodies is also being contaminated by this chemical waste.”

In 2004, the Supreme Court highlighted, “The report (by a court-appointed committee) records that due to indiscriminate dumping of hazardous waste due to non-existent or negligent practices together with lack of enforcement by authorities, the ground water and, therefore, drinking water supplies have been affected/damaged.”

Waste from the manufacturing grounds was collected in 2005 by the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board (MPPCB) via a private company. The remaining 347 MT of garbage were stored in a shed on the industrial grounds, while a tiny amount was burned.

About 10 MT of this waste were burned on a trial basis at a Pithampur facility 10 years later, in August 2015, by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), which also suggested doing the same for the remaining waste.

There was a "possibility of contamination of soil," according to a 2022 committee created by the NGT, which also recommended "speedy disposal" of the material.

Citing the "serious unsatisfactory" state of affairs and the "apathy" and "failure" of the relevant authorities, the NGT issued an order in March 2022 directing the state government and other agencies to respond within six months. The order was not followed.

Following court orders and studies, the MP government expanded the number of localities to 42, surrounding the factory where it provides safe drinking water over the past 15 years after activists complained to the Supreme Court about the spread of groundwater contamination.

In order to limit citizens' access to tainted water, the government has also shut tube wells and hand pumps. Nonetheless, a lot of people continue to use groundwater for uses other than drinking.

According to Rachna Dhingra, a member of the Bhopal Group for Information and Action, an NGO that is a part of the Supreme Court's Monitoring Committee on the tragedy, even 40 years after the gas leak, new victims are being found every day as a result of the groundwater contamination that is affecting people's health and spreading to new areas.

“The government plans to dispose of only 337 MT of the waste, which is only a small fraction of the total toxic waste. Unless all this waste is properly disposed of, it will continue to pollute groundwater and soil,” said Dhingra.

“Even the courts pulling up the authorities for their apathy and inaction is not working. The government is not at all interested in holding the polluter accountable, especially when the polluter company refuses to pay the ₹310 crore sought towards the cleanup,” she added.

The Bhopal Gas Tragedy occurred on the night of December 2-3, 1984, at the UCIL pesticide plant in Bhopal, India.

A leak of methyl isocyanate (MIC), a highly toxic gas, spread over the surrounding areas.

The gas leak exposed over 500,000 people to deadly fumes, resulting in immediate deaths and long-term health effects.

Thousands of people died in the days and weeks following the incident, with estimates ranging from 2,000 to 15,000 deaths.

Many others suffered from respiratory problems, blindness, and other serious health issues. The gas also caused severe environmental contamination, affecting the water and soil in the region.

Legal battles for compensation, justice, and accountability have continued for decades, with the Union Carbide Corporation, based in the United States, facing criticism for its role in the disaster and subsequent cleanup efforts.