<p>Forty years after the <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/bhopal-gas-tragedy">gas leak at Bhopal’s Union Carbide plant</a> which killed thousands and impacted the health of successive generations, legacy issues of the disaster are still being addressed, and not efficiently. </p>.<p>If the gas leak and compensation for the loss of lives and damage to health and environment were not handled well, the evolving issue regarding the clearing of toxic waste from the chemical factory’s premises is also being addressed poorly. </p>.<p>Last month, the Madhya Pradesh High Court ordered the clearing of the waste with this week set as the deadline. The state government has started shifting the waste to Pithampur, a town in western MP, 250 km from Bhopal, where there is a facility for incineration of hazardous waste. </p>.<p>The plan is to incinerate the waste and bury the ash in landfills. However, there is strong opposition to the plan by the residents of Pithampur and the nearby city of Indore.</p>.Public transport not only about revenues.<p>In the first place, it has taken 40 years for efforts to be made to remove the toxic waste. A petition was filed in the court in this connection, in 2004. Hazardous materials that have lain in the factory’s premises all these years have seeped into the earth and contaminated soil and groundwater. Many surrounding residential areas have reported this contamination. </p>.<p>A trial run for the incineration was done at Pithampur a few years ago after the Supreme Court ordered the waste disposal. This is the first sign of action since then. It was reported that 358 tonnes of waste were taken to Pithampur with police escort. According to reports, 1.1 million tonnes of contaminated soil and tonnes of chemicals have to be moved and disposed of. The process is estimated to take many months to complete.</p>.<p>Protests by the residents of Pithampur and surrounding areas, and workers of the industrial hub have continued. The police had to use force to counter the resistance. There were also reports of people fleeing their homes. Even if the incineration is done at Pithampur, many residents want it conducted at a new plant, in a remote area. </p>.<p>The government has promised that it would monitor people’s health and test the soil, air, and water but the residents are not convinced. The waste disposal process called for utmost care and caution because it involved contaminated materials. </p>.<p>Decades of apathy have left the residents with strong misgivings about the government’s assurances regarding the disposal. There has been a serious lack of transparency about the government’s action – no consultations were held about the disposal procedures, further deepening this mistrust. </p>
<p>Forty years after the <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/bhopal-gas-tragedy">gas leak at Bhopal’s Union Carbide plant</a> which killed thousands and impacted the health of successive generations, legacy issues of the disaster are still being addressed, and not efficiently. </p>.<p>If the gas leak and compensation for the loss of lives and damage to health and environment were not handled well, the evolving issue regarding the clearing of toxic waste from the chemical factory’s premises is also being addressed poorly. </p>.<p>Last month, the Madhya Pradesh High Court ordered the clearing of the waste with this week set as the deadline. The state government has started shifting the waste to Pithampur, a town in western MP, 250 km from Bhopal, where there is a facility for incineration of hazardous waste. </p>.<p>The plan is to incinerate the waste and bury the ash in landfills. However, there is strong opposition to the plan by the residents of Pithampur and the nearby city of Indore.</p>.Public transport not only about revenues.<p>In the first place, it has taken 40 years for efforts to be made to remove the toxic waste. A petition was filed in the court in this connection, in 2004. Hazardous materials that have lain in the factory’s premises all these years have seeped into the earth and contaminated soil and groundwater. Many surrounding residential areas have reported this contamination. </p>.<p>A trial run for the incineration was done at Pithampur a few years ago after the Supreme Court ordered the waste disposal. This is the first sign of action since then. It was reported that 358 tonnes of waste were taken to Pithampur with police escort. According to reports, 1.1 million tonnes of contaminated soil and tonnes of chemicals have to be moved and disposed of. The process is estimated to take many months to complete.</p>.<p>Protests by the residents of Pithampur and surrounding areas, and workers of the industrial hub have continued. The police had to use force to counter the resistance. There were also reports of people fleeing their homes. Even if the incineration is done at Pithampur, many residents want it conducted at a new plant, in a remote area. </p>.<p>The government has promised that it would monitor people’s health and test the soil, air, and water but the residents are not convinced. The waste disposal process called for utmost care and caution because it involved contaminated materials. </p>.<p>Decades of apathy have left the residents with strong misgivings about the government’s assurances regarding the disposal. There has been a serious lack of transparency about the government’s action – no consultations were held about the disposal procedures, further deepening this mistrust. </p>
