The garbage that came out from Bhopal at around 9 pm reached Pithampur at around 4:20 am.
40 years after the gas tragedy that occurred on the night of 2 December 1984, 358 metric tonnes of waste from the Union Carbide factory was taken out of Bhopal on 1 January 2025. It was packed in 12 containers and sent to Ramki Enviro Industries in Pithampur through a 250 km long green corridor.
,
The convoy left Bhopal at around 9 pm, reached Pithampur at around 4:20 am. A lot of preparations have also been made to burn this waste. Garbage will be burnt in a closed furnace at 1200°. Its ashes will also be kept in a waterproof bag.
People from Bhopal to Pithampur have many questions regarding this waste. For example: How poisonous is this waste still? 40 years ago, when Bhopal gas tragedy happened in winter, this time too will it be burnt in winter or not? Why was Pithampur chosen? After burning of garbage, what effect will it have on Pithampur and is now all the problems related to this tragedy in Bhopal over forever? Read on to know the answers to all such questions. this report
What was Bhopal Gas Tragedy or Gas Scandal? America’s Union Carbide Corporation started the Union Carbide India Limited plant in Bhopal in 1969. In this factory, Sevin brand pesticide was made from the formulation of methyl isocyanate (MIC) and alpha naphthol. MIC was so dangerous that America used to supply it to other countries in steel bottles of one liter each, but ignoring the rules, it was imported to India from America in steel containers.
In 1978, a unit for making alpha naphthol and MIC in 1979 was set up in the factory premises of Bhopal. MIC’s storage tank 610 was filled beyond its capacity. At 8.30 pm on December 2, pipes filled with solid waste were being cleaned with water. This water entered the MIC tank due to leaking valves and started a ‘run away reaction’ in the tank, due to which the tank 610 burst and the MIC gas contained in it leaked into the air. 3828 people died due to gas leakage overnight.
By 2003, more than 15,000 deaths were claimed. More than 30,000 people were affected by the accident. This figure has now reached 5.5 lakh.
The waste of Union Carbide is spread till the pond near the factory.
What is Union Carbide waste? Production in the factory was stopped after gas leakage. At this time, alpha naphthol and semi-processed pesticides were kept in the factory for making Sevin. There was also solid waste from MIC. Hundreds of tons of soil in the complex got infected due to the leakage of chemical.
In the year 2005, 345 metric tonnes of waste including 95 tonnes of sevin and alpha naphthol, 56.4 tonnes of semi-processed pesticides, reactor waste and 165 tonnes of contaminated soil spread in the factory premises were packed in steel drums and plastic sacks and stored in RCC floor warehouses. Was placed in. This dangerous chemical is the waste from Bhopal gas tragedy.
It is claimed that apart from this 350 tonnes, more than 1 lakh tonnes of infected soil and chemicals are present in the pond and factory.
How dangerous is factory waste? In 2015, the Central Pollution Control Board had tested the waste in the presence of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy and Rehabilitation Department, State Pollution Control Board. Following these investigations, it was observed that significant amounts of carbon waste were still present in the waste. Chlorine, sevin, organochlorine compounds, naphthol, semi-volatile organocompounds and heavy metals were present in this waste. Contaminated soil and chemicals were lying in the open for twenty years after the accident.
By 2005, the groundwater of more than 29 colonies near the factory premises had become poisonous. Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board had sealed all the hand pumps in the area. Extracting water from a hand pump or bore well was a crime and punishable by fine and punishment. Nitrate, chloride and cadmium were found in the groundwater of 15 new colonies near the factory.
However, when Chief Minister Mohan Yadav was asked how dangerous the waste is, he said – Chemicals expire in 25 years.
Why has this garbage been sent to Pithampur? Ramki Enviro Engineers, which has got the tender for waste disposal in Pithampur, has been associated with this waste since 2005. This company had packed 347 metric tons of waste spread in the factory premises for the first time. Before Ramki, there were tenders to send this waste to Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Germany for disposal, but wherever the talk of sending the waste started, protests started there.
DRDO’s garbage disposal efforts at Ankleshwar in Gujarat in 2007, Dungigal in Hyderabad in October 2009 and Nagpur in Mumbai in June 2011 failed after public opposition. After this, experts also talked about the option of burning waste in cement kilns.
On January 28, 2010, the Supreme Court had ordered the burning of 346 metric tons of garbage in Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh.
So is waste disposal now settled? Following the orders of the High Court and the Supreme Court, 358 metric tons of Yuca waste has been sent to Ramki Enviro Engineers of Pithampur. There is no official statement yet regarding when the process of disposal of waste will start. That means only the garbage has reached Ramki plant. Its process has not started.
Atul Seth, City Engineer of Indore Municipal Corporation, says that first it should be clear that what will be the composition of the gas that will be formed and the ash that will be left after burning the waste of Union Carbide? Seth also raises the question that the Bhopal gas accident took place on December 3 during the cold season. It’s still cold so is it safe to burn it now?
Currently, the court order was only to remove garbage from Bhopal, hence there is no pressure on the administration to burn the garbage immediately.
People in Pithampur are protesting against burning of Yucca waste.
How safe is the waste disposal process? 358 metric tonnes of waste will be burnt at a temperature of 1200 degrees in the incinerator of Ramki Enviro in Pithampur. It has been claimed that the waste contains 60 percent soil. This is infected soil. Lime, activated carbon and sulfur will be used to burn this waste.
To burn garbage, about 505 metric tons of lime, 252.75 tons of activated carbon and 2250 kg of sulfur powder will be required. The incinerator is equipped with a flue gas treatment system i.e. spray dryer (extinguisher), dust collector, dry powder chemical observer system, filter bag house, mist eliminator and LED fan to remove chemicals like ammonia, chlorine or sulfur from the gas. Alkali scrubber and then 35 meter chimney has been installed.
Sulfur powder would be added with the waste and lime to absorb the mercury and heavy metals. Due to this, neither smoke nor water will go into the atmosphere. After burning the garbage, 4 times more ash will be left.
There is still a lot of waste lying in the Union Carbide factory located in Bhopal.
How much time will the waste disposal process take? Once the waste is burnt, its toxicity is checked. The burning capacity (feed rate) of the incinerator is 90, 180 and 270 kg per hour. The waste will be heated at a temperature of 1200 degrees. If toxicity is severe then low feed rate will have to be maintained. In such a situation, it may take 9 months to burn the entire garbage. If the feed rate is higher then the disposal of waste will be completed in 3 months.
How much ash will be produced by burning garbage, what will happen to it? Burning of 358 tonnes of Yuca waste will generate more than 1200 tonnes of waste. Because lime, activated carbon and sulfur powder will be added to burn the waste.
After burning the garbage, big pits will be dug and RCC walls will be built in them, in which this ash will be filled. A plastic layer will be made on top and it will be packed with RCC. After this process, neither water will seep into the waste nor will the waste affect the land and ground water.
Garbage has been removed from Bhopal after 40 years of the gas tragedy.
Is all the Yucca waste gone now? The waste was buried at 20 different places in the factory premises located in Bhopal. On the instructions of the High Court, the Madhya Pradesh government got the investigation done by NEERI, Nagpur and National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), Hyderabad in 2010. It was revealed that toxic waste is buried at 21 places in the Yuka campus. Between 1969 and 1984, many types of toxic waste were dumped here near different plants. Due to this the surrounding ground water and about 11 lakh tonnes of soil has been contaminated.
When Chief Minister Mohan Yadav was asked the question of removing the garbage buried in the campus, he said that a solution to this will also be found with time.
What will happen to Yuca land? The government has also presented a plan to build a memorial to the gas tragedy in the court, but there is chemical waste everywhere in the Yuca factory, hence the land will also have to be treated before use.
According to the guidelines of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), this land can be used only after it is treated and declared free from chemical toxic waste. According to CPCB scientists, now such technology is available for the treatment of land containing hazardous waste, in which it can be treated without digging the land.
How much precaution was taken in removing the garbage? Preparations to remove the garbage were going on for a month. All the agencies were planning for a month to remove the waste.
After all, why is there protest, what is the reason for it? The reason for the protest is the trial run of 10 tonnes of waste in Pithampur in 2015. The government believes that the trial run was successful, while nearby villagers say that the quality of their groundwater has deteriorated. People fear that the waste from the Bhopal gas tragedy may pollute the water and air in Pithampur and Indore.
Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital Alumni Association of Indore has filed a petition in the High Court against burning of garbage. Its hearing can be held on January 12. At the same time, Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya said that the government is working responsibly. The decision will be taken only after public satisfaction.
Why was the waste not disposed of in the factory premises itself? As per CPCB rules, incinerator cannot be installed in Yuka campus due to its location in the middle of a densely populated area. This was the reason why Rs 126 crore was given to Ramki and it was sent to the incinerator in Pithampur.
How much damage has this waste caused to Bhopal in 40 years? In the last 40 years, Yucca waste has polluted the ground water of 42 wards of Bhopal. This water is not only suitable for drinking but also not suitable for bathing. Coming in contact with it has caused serious diseases like skin cancer.
Ground water of 42 settlements is polluted, will it ever be potable? This is not technically possible at present. No work has been done in Bhopal in the last 40 years to protect ground water from pollution. The government has not even started thinking about this. There is no future plan either. Also, many organizations are claiming that more than 1 lakh tonnes of infected soil is still present in the factory premises.
The government has started supplying drinking water through pipeline in these colonies.
Also read these news related to the case…
30 minute shift…BP monitors in the pockets of all workers
337 metric tons of poisonous waste kept in the warehouse of Union Carbide Factory of Bhopal will be taken to Pithampur together in 12 containers. For this, a 250 Km long green corridor will be built, the work of filling the garbage in jumbo bags was completed on Monday. Loading of these bags into the container was also started late at night. Read the full news…
337 tons of toxic waste of Union Carbide is going to Pithampur.
40 years after the Bhopal gas tragedy, the process of removing 337 metric tons of toxic waste kept in the warehouse of Union Carbide factory has started. On Sunday morning, a team of experts reached the spot and started the process of filling the waste into 12 containers under tight security. The container will be delivered to Pithampur before January 3. It is prohibited to go inside the campus during this entire process. Read the full news…
