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Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
All 337 tonnes of Union Carbide waste incinerated at MP plant, says official
All 337 tonnes of hazardous waste from the defunct Union Carbide factory in Bhopal have been incinerated at a disposal facility in Pithampur, nearly six months after being transported there, according to a statement from the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board, cited by news agency PTI on Monday. The toxic waste has been lying abandoned in the defunct Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) factory for the past 40 years. (File photo) The incineration, marking a major step in closing a tragic chapter of the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster, was carried out following an order from the Madhya Pradesh High Court. According to regional officer Srinivas Dwivedi, the last phase of the burning process — covering 307 tonnes — began on May 5 and concluded on the night of June 29-30. 'The process of burning 307 tonnes of the factory waste at the disposal plant operated by a private company in Pithampur began around 7.45 pm on May 5 and ended on the intervening night of June 29-30 at 1 am,' he told PTI. Also Read | Toxic waste shifted from Bhopal's Union Carbide factory for disposal after 40 years Earlier, 30 tonnes of the waste were destroyed in three trial runs. In total, the entire 337 tonnes have now been burnt to ash. No info on impact on locals' health The disposal was done under the supervision of experts from both the Central and State Pollution Control Boards. Dwivedi said the waste was incinerated at a maximum rate of 270 kg per hour, with emissions monitored in real time through an online system. 'We have no information about any adverse effect on the health of people living in the surrounding areas during the incineration of the waste,' he added. Also Read | 337 MT toxic waste from Bhopal gas leak site to be shifted to Pithampur The waste included soil from the Union Carbide premises, reactor residue, and remnants of pesticides like Sevin and naphthol. However, the board clarified that the waste contained no trace of methyl isocyanate — the toxic gas that caused the disaster — and no radioactive material. The remaining ash and other byproducts are currently being stored in sealed, leak-proof bags inside the plant. Dwivedi said special landfill cells are being built to bury the residue using scientific methods. "If everything goes well, these residue will also be disposed of by December. Before this, the residue will be treated scientifically so that their burial does not cause any harm to the environment," he said. The toxic waste was brought to the Pithampur facility in Dhar district, about 250 km from Bhopal, on January 2. The 1984 gas tragedy — one of the world's worst industrial disasters — occurred when methyl isocyanate gas leaked from the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal on the night of December 2–3. The leak killed at least 5,479 people and left thousands injured or disabled. (With PTI inputs)
The Hindu
06-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Union Carbide waste disposal: Incineration starts at Pithampur plant
The incineration of 307 tonnes of waste from the defunct Union Carbide factory in Bhopal has begun in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district and is expected to be completed in 55 days, an official said on Tuesday (May 6, 2025). The incineration process began around 7.45 pm on Monday at a disposal plant run by a private company in Pithampur, about 250 km from Bhopal, State Pollution Control Board's regional officer Srinivas Dwivedi told PTI. He said as per the MP High Court's directive on March 27, the waste from the defunct Union Carbide factory is being burnt at the maximum rate of 270 kg per hour under the supervision of technical experts of the central and the state pollution control boards. "We estimate that the entire waste of Union Carbide will be burnt to ashes in the next 50 to 55 days," Mr. Dwivedi said. He said the emission of different gases and particles from the plant was being monitored through an online system. The emission of particulate matter, hydrogen chloride, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, total organic carbon, hydrogen fluoride and nitrogen oxide is being monitored through this system, he said. He added that the ambient air quality in the surrounding areas is also being checked. Mr. Dwivedi said, "In the final stage of burning the waste, mercury emissions are being monitored for the first time online by installing a new sensor in the Pithampur plant." All the emissions are within the standard limits, he said. He said that automatic machines were arranged to mix and weigh the waste in the prescribed quantity before putting it in the incinerator of this plant. After burning all the garbage, the remaining ash will be disposed of safely so that it does not harm the environment, the official said. As per the High Court's direction, the government has to present a status report on June 30 regarding waste disposal. On January 2 this year, 337 tonnes of waste from the defunct Union Carbide factory in Bhopal was transported to the Pithampur plant. A total of 30 tonnes of waste was incinerated at the plant in three tests. After this, the State Government told the High Court, citing the analysis report stating that during the three tests conducted at the rates of 135, 180 and 270 kg per hour respectively, the emissions were found to be within the prescribed standards. According to the State Government, the waste from the Union Carbide factory includes soil from the premises of this closed unit, reactor residue, Sevin (pesticide) residue, naphthal residue and "semi-processed" residue. The State Pollution Control Board has stated that according to scientific evidence, the effect of Sevin and naphthal chemicals in this waste has now become "almost negligible". According to the board, there is no existence of methyl isocyanate gas in this waste, and there are no radioactive particles of any kind. On the intervening night of December 2 and 3, 1984, highly toxic methyl isocyanate gas leaked from the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal. At least 5,479 people were killed, and thousands were crippled. It is counted among the biggest industrial disasters in the world.
The Print
06-05-2025
- General
- The Print
Union Carbide waste disposal: Incineration starts at Pithampur plant
He said as per the MP High Court's directive on March 27, the waste from the defunct Union Carbide factory is being burnt at the maximum rate of 270 kg per hour under the supervision of technical experts of the central and the state pollution control boards. The incineration process began around 7.45 pm on Monday at a disposal plant run by a private company in Pithampur, about 250 km from Bhopal, state Pollution Control Board's regional officer Srinivas Dwivedi told PTI. Bhopal, May 6 (PTI) The incineration of 307 tonnes of waste from the defunct Union Carbide factory in Bhopal has begun in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district and is expected to be completed in 55 days, an official said on Tuesday. 'We estimate that the entire waste of Union Carbide will be burnt to ashes in the next 50 to 55 days,' Dwivedi said. He said the emission of different gases and particles from the plant was being monitored through an online system. The emission of particulate matter, hydrogen chloride, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, total organic carbon, hydrogen fluoride and nitrogen oxide is being monitored through this system, he said. He added that the ambient air quality in the surrounding areas is also being checked. Dwivedi said, 'In the final stage of burning the waste, mercury emissions are being monitored for the first time online by installing a new sensor in the Pithampur plant.' All the emissions are within the standard limits, he said. He said that automatic machines were arranged to mix and weigh the waste in the prescribed quantity before putting it in the incinerator of this plant. After burning all the garbage, the remaining ash will be disposed of safely so that it does not harm the environment, the official said. As per the High Court's direction, the government has to present a status report on June 30 regarding waste disposal. On January 2 this year, 337 tonnes of waste from the defunct Union Carbide factory in Bhopal was transported to the Pithampur plant. A total of 30 tonnes of waste was incinerated at the plant in three tests. After this, the state government told the High Court, citing the analysis report stating that during the three tests conducted at the rates of 135, 180 and 270 kg per hour respectively, the emissions were found to be within the prescribed standards. According to the state government, the waste from the Union Carbide factory includes soil from the premises of this closed unit, reactor residue, Sevin (pesticide) residue, naphthal residue and 'semi-processed' residue. The State Pollution Control Board has stated that according to scientific evidence, the effect of Sevin and naphthal chemicals in this waste has now become 'almost negligible'. According to the board, there is no existence of methyl isocyanate gas in this waste, and there are no radioactive particles of any kind. On the intervening night of December 2 and 3, 1984, highly toxic methyl isocyanate gas leaked from the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal. At least 5,479 people were killed, and thousands were crippled. It is counted among the biggest industrial disasters in the world. PTI HWP ADU ARU This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
