Ten tonnes of waste are to be incinerated in Pithampur as part of the first trial.
| Photo Credit: PTI

The process to conduct the first trial run of disposing of a 10-tonne batch of the Union Carbide’s 40-year-old toxic waste began at an incineration facility in Madhya Pradesh’s Pithampur on Thursday, an official said. The steps were initiated after the Supreme Court declined to intervene in the matter.

Manoj Kumar Singh, Superintendent of Police, Dhar, told The Hindu that 10 tonnes of the waste had been unloaded from the containers and the bags were being opened carefully. The incineration process would likely start early Friday after undertaking all the necessary safety measures, he said.

The process began shortly after the Supreme Court rejected a petition that had challenged the Madhya Pradesh government’s plans to dispose 358 tonnes of Union Carbide waste in Pithampur. The top court also refused to stay the three trial runs of 10 tonnes each, allowed by the High Court on February 18.

The chemical waste, which had been lying at the now-defunct Union Carbide India Ltd (UCIL) factory in Bhopal for more than 40 years since the December 1984 gas tragedy that killed thousands, had been transported to a private waste treatment facility in Pithampur industrial town near Indore on January 2. The move had caused a massive uproar in and around the town in Dhar district, forcing the authorities to delay its plans. 

The preliminary work for the trial run had been done in advance and the process was initiated after the Supreme Court’s decision not to intervene.

“It’s a long process before the waste burning begins. Opening the packaging has started, after which the waste will be loaded into the unit very carefully,” Mr. Singh said, adding that a dry run of the incineration machines will be conducted at night so that the unit is well-heated before the waste is loaded. 

“It takes some 8-10 hours for the machines to heat up and get ready for the incineration,” he added.

Mr. Singh, who was at the site in Pithampur, also said that adequate security arrangements have been made with security personnel deployed across the town. 

“We have been assessing the situation on the ground constantly. We have also taken the public into confidence,” he said, adding that the administration has issued an advisory against any rumours regarding the waste disposal.

Welcoming the Supreme Court’s stand, Swatantra Kumar Singh, Director, Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Department, said that the trial run is being conducted under the supervision of concerned departments and scientific experts.

“This is a big day. We are starting the process of the [first] trial run at the TSDF [Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Facility] in Pithampur and it will be done under the supervision of the CPCB [Central Pollution Control Board] and the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board,” he said. 

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court rejected a petition filed by Chinmay Mishra, an Indore resident, noting that the State government’s plans for disposal of the waste in Pithampur was based on observations and approvals from scientific experts.

The top court also said that the petitioner and other interveners could approach the M.P. High Court with their grievances. 

On February 18, the High Court had agreed with the government’s plans to conduct three trial runs at varying burning rates, directing it to present the trial reports on March 27. 

The second and third trial runs are scheduled for March 4 and 10, respectively. 

Mass protests had erupted in the first week of January after the waste was moved to Pithampur from the Union Carbide Factory in Bhopal. Two persons had attempted self-immolation.

According to the State government, the uproar was created by rumours and misinformation circulated around the issue. The State government sought six weeks’ time from the High Court to build consensus among the public. The authorities then ran various awareness drives stating that the waste would be disposed of in a scientific manner and by undertaking various safety measures.  

Activists, however, have long questioned the government claims and alleged that the process may be harmful to the environment and water bodies.

According to the Union government’s 2022 estimates, a total of 5,479 people lost their lives in the tragedy caused by the leak of toxic methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas from the Union Carbide factory. Various government estimates also show that while thousands suffered physical disabilities in the aftermath of the accident, it has also had health implications on more than five lakh people over the decades.