337 tons of toxic waste produced by Bhopal disasterin India, the most serious industrial accident in history occurred on the night between 2 and December 3, 1984have only now left the area – 40 years after the tragedy – with a journey of more than 200 km, headed towards a incineration plant in the Indian city of Pithampur. The decision comes from the Madhya Pradesh State High Court, which last month ordered the disposal of the 337 tonnes within 4 weeks, thus forcing decades of inactivity. However, local associations raise doubts about the safety of disposal and the presence of contaminants in the soil and groundwater in the air of the Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) plant, now owned by DOW Corporation.
How the Bhopal toxic waste disposal happened and why it was important
The waste was loaded by 12 shots in specials sealed containersescorted by a cordon of emergency vehicles, ambulances and police forces, and traveled more than 200 km towards a industrial material incineration plant in the town of Pithampurconstantly followed by cameras.
The treatment of this waste had already been decided in 2005at a site in the state of Gujarat, but strong protests had blocked the planas has happened for other destinations proposed over the years.
The decision has obviously caused concern and controversy, both for the risk of air pollution following the incineration of waste and for the reduced quantity of material treated: for the authorities this is however an important step, which could finally give way to a serious cleanup plan on the model of other works, such as the decontamination of the Seveso area where the most serious Italian industrial accident occurred in 1976.
From disaster to reclamation projects
The UCC pesticide manufacturing plant was the cause of the worst industrial accident in history: the release of enormous quantities of a toxic compound called methyl isocyanate (MIC) at least it provoked 3700 confirmed victimswith unofficial estimates approaching i 10,000 deaths in the following days, e very serious consequences on health of survivors and subsequent generations.
In addition to contamination due to the release of the gas, decades of poor industrial practices have caused pollution from substances such as mercury and other heavy metals, pesticides and solventsused in the production processes from 1969 to 1984, the year of the disaster.
Tons of toxic substances have been stored in landfills or structures that are now in disrepair inside the plant, constituting the greatest risk for the citizens of Bhopal today. A joint program between German and Indian agencies (GTZ-ASEM) estimated approx 2500 tons of contaminated soil to be treated, in addition to the possible pollution of various aquifers in the area.
The mammoth size of the work and decades of litigation in Indian and US courts have further slowed down any possible recovery project.
