Amid growing concerns over the proposed incineration of Union Carbide waste, leaders of four survivor organisations on Monday urged the state government to rethink its decision.
Addressing the media in the state capital, they said that a legal remedy must be identified at the earliest to prevent further harm to the residents of Pithampur, where the waste is being incinerated.
The organisations presented evidence showing that the Pithampur facility, which is handling 337 metric tonnes of hazardous waste, has violated key environmental laws.
They highlighted troubling reports, including excessive diesel use and the likelihood of dangerous toxic residues leaching into the surrounding environment, and proposed sending the waste to the USA for proper disposal.
Rashida Bee, President of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh and a Goldman Prize awardee, presented official documents showing that 10 tonnes of Union Carbide’s hazardous waste incinerated in 2015 consumed 80,000 litres of diesel—more than 30 times the amount used for similar waste between 2010 and 2012.
She warned that burning excessive diesel would not only exacerbate pollution but also falsely reduce the levels of harmful substances, such as dioxins and furans, through emissions dilution.
Balkrishna Namdeo, President of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pensionbhogi Sangharsh Morcha, shared alarming details from a document released by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEF), indicating that the incineration of Union Carbide’s hazardous waste at the Pithampur facility is expected to produce over 900 tonnes of toxic residue.
Rachna Dhingra of the Bhopal Group for Information & Action, presenting documents obtained under the Right to Information Act, claimed that the MP Pollution Control Board had issued a show-cause notice to the Pithampur Waste Management facility for violating the Water Prevention Act, 1974.
Nawab Khan, President of Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha, strongly advocated for the transport of the hazardous waste to the USA.
He pointed to the precedent set in 2003 when the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board compelled Unilever to send 300 tonnes of hazardous waste from Kodaikanal to New York, where it was safely disposed of in a closed-loop facility with zero emissions.
