Public outrage over the disposal of waste by Union Carbide at Pithampur
The almost 337 tonnes of Union Carbide waste disposed in Pithampur in Madhya Pradesh have created the public’s issue. A writ petition was placed before the NGT to request assurance of public safety residing here. The waste materials were brought over from Bhopal on Thursday. It falls under the cleaning measures that have gone on since the notorious Bhopal gas tragedy which occurred in the year 1984.
It has already sent alarm bells ringing in the minds of local residents and activists as this is being carried out under an order from the Madhya Pradesh High Court. The petition was filed by a social organization in Jabalpur that sought an undertaking from the Madhya Pradesh government that the process would not pose any danger to the people living in the areas nearby, particularly Dhar district where Pithampur lies.
Bhopal Gas Tragedy Legacy
One of the worst industrial catastrophes in history occurred on the night of December 2-3, 1984, when the methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas leaked from the Union Carbide pesticide factory in Bhopal. It killed at least 5,479 people and left thousands seriously injured. This Bhopal gas tragedy has been felt in Bhopal and its surroundings for so long. Many have been suffering due to the impacts of toxic gases.
The site of the Union Carbide factory still shows huge piles of toxic waste. Several efforts to clean up the place and let it go have faced hurdles for many years in a row, including environmental concerns as well as legal battles. Now, the Madhya Pradesh government has directed the disposal of remaining Union Carbide wastes in Pithampur, a town which is situated in Dhar district, about 50 kilometers from Bhopal.
Public Protest and Appeal to NGT
Transporting and disposal of the hazardous waste have become a cause for agitation and anxiety among the residents of Pithampur and other nearby villages, especially Tarpura. People fear that burning the waste may produce dangerous side effects on human health and the environment. A petition was filed before NGT praying that state government of Madhya Pradesh gives assurance as to safety of the process and appropriate measure should be taken for redressal of grievances of the people.
The plea to the NGT is to direct the chief secretary of the state to furnish a notarized affidavit that there would be no harassment to the inhabitants of Pithampur and its adjoining localities because of the disposal of waste. It also prays that the government of Madhya Pradesh issue a detailed report regarding the procedure of waste disposal in both the vernacular Hindi language and English newspaper so that public apprehension and fear get diluted.
The petition argues that the Bhopal gas tragedy is closely aligned with its historical context because the grievances of the residents are concomitantly gelled out from the mass trauma dating back to the 1984 tragedy. As the waste produced is hazardous, and improper disposal poses risks, the question of whether appropriate safety measures are being made for the local population during disposal is one that petitioners seek an answer to.
The Disposal Process
The state government of Madhya Pradesh has assured the people that the disposal process will be carried out in a safe and harmless manner. The waste will be incinerated in a place in Pithampur that is specially designed to handle hazardous materials. The government assured the public that the process followed the safety protocols and measures to save the environment and public health.
The local administration has taken all precautionary measures so that the threat can be mitigated. All the directions within the radius of 100 meters from the waste disposal unit have been put under prohibitory orders. Furthermore, a tough police force has been deployed and maintained along the roads for checking and arresting those crossing the roads to curb the agitation. It is through these that the locality would be handled during the process of waste disposal.
Despite this, many health and environmental risks have been questioned by the residents who live in Tarpura-a village where the waste disposal unit is just a few hundred meters away from their residences. Most of the villagers are employed in the various industrial units around Pithampur, and they fear that this toxic waste exposure might have serious long-term health effects. The Bhopal gas tragedy is still etched in the minds of the villagers and has shaped public opinion in the region on the issue of the safety of industries and environmental protection.
Public Protests
The people have protested, and environmental activists are protesting against the Union Carbide’s decision to dispose of their waste in Pithampur. Several residents in the region are worried because the incineration of the vast amount of toxic waste may expose the air as well as soil to pollution that does not help in mitigating this part of the world’s unhealthy environmental maladies, said Kaida. Others have been demanding more stakeholder engagement and sensitivity, among other things, for citizen involvement in decision-making and more strengthening of
issues of public health.
Continued protests and court cases are merely projecting into the media only the grave concerns over the hazardous waste dumping in already industrially destroyed regions. The Madhya Pradesh government tried to tackle the situations, but the situation remains grim with most of its residents demanding more precise information and assurance over the safety aspects of the disposal process.
Conclusion
The disposal of Union Carbide waste in Pithampur is an eventful incident in the saga of the continuing aftermath of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy. While the state government of Madhya Pradesh took all steps to ensure proper disposal of this toxic waste safely, growing anxiety among the locals, particularly near the area of disposal, finds reflection in the petition presented before the NGT.
As the process of waste disposal continues, the government should make proper communication to the public to help clear up all their fears and put their safety as a top priority in terms of the population that resides locally. The protests and legal challenges are the expressions of a call to the consideration of concerns in affected communities regarding industrial waste disposal and making sure that this type of process will be carried out with proper attention to public health and environmental safety.
Source: PTI and related news sources