The long-awaited removal of 377 metric tonnes of hazardous waste from the defunct Union Carbide factory in Bhopal began on Sunday. This marks a major step forward in addressing the toxic remnants of the 1984 gas tragedy. The waste is set to be transported to an incineration facility in Pithampur, near Indore, for safe disposal.
 
The Madhya Pradesh High Court recently condemned the authorities for inaction despite repeated directives, including from the Supreme Court. Warning of a potential "another tragedy," the court set a four-week deadline on December 3 to clear the site. "The state of inertia" in handling the situation was labeled a "sorry state of affairs" by the court, which threatened contempt proceedings if the order was ignored.

On Sunday, reinforced container-carrying GPS-enabled trucks were transported to the factory. Staff in PPE suits accompanied officials from Bhopal Municipal Corporation, Environmental Agencies, and experts from Incineration along with directing the entire process. Police barricaded the entire area as heavily as possible to make the process safe.

According to Swatantra Kumar Singh, Director of the state's Gas Relief and Rehabilitation Department, " "The waste of Bhopal gas tragedy is a stigma which is going to disappear after 40 years. We will dispose of it by sending it safely to Pithampur."

A 250-km "green corridor" is being established to shift the toxic waste from Bhopal to Pithampur as fast as possible. Though the exact date for shifting has not been determined, officials say they would shift the toxic waste by January 3, as per the directives of the court.

There is incineration at Pithampur, and the residue shall go through scientific tests regarding no harmful constituents of residual wastes so that no constituent poses environmental problems. If a satisfactory test is provided, the three-month window is possible, according to Singh. Otherwise, this period goes up to nine months. Advanced filtration systems ensure emissions from the incinerator do not create environmental pollution.

Despite assurances from the government, the plan has resulted in protests in Pithampur. In Sunday's rallies, locals -under the banner of the "Pithampur Kshetra Raksha Manch"-demanded a before-burning air quality assessment in their city. Placards bore slogans such as "We will not let Pithampur become Bhopal" and "Save Pithampur, remove toxic waste."

Rajesh Chaudhary, one of the protesters, said, "We want the air quality of Pithampur to be re-examined by scientists before the Union Carbide factory waste is destroyed. We will also try our best to present our case in the court."

Goutam Kothari, president of the Pithampur Industrial Organisation, said he was satisfied with the safety arrangements. We are satisfied with the arrangements made for burning down the Union Carbide waste at the industrial waste disposal unit of Pithampur. The disposal of this waste should not be made a bogey on the basis of baseless apprehensions," he said. 

However, he cautioned that his organisation would protest if any mishap occurred during the process.

Bhopal gas tragedy

The cleanup endeavor is a landmark that marks the need for closure of an important after-effect of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy still considered one of the worst industrial disasters in the world. Disposal of the hazardous waste being safe, would mark an end to a long-standing environmental and health hazard, providing closure over a dark chapter in the history of the region.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court will listen to the case on January 6 and review the progress made so far.