Will Pithampur become another Bhopal? Toxic waste disposal spark fears

40 years ago, the leak of Methyl Isocyanate Gas (MIC) from Union Carbide Factory in Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh, killed thousands of people. Years later, the toxic waste from this factory will be disposed of in the industrial area of ​​Pithampur near Indore.

Pithampur is the only place in Madhya Pradesh where all types of hazardous waste of the state are disposed of, and residents here already face many environmental and health-related risks. Now, the decision to dispose of Union Carbide's waste here has increased people's concerns.

Despite all the concerns, the Central Pollution Control Board has released Rs 126 crore for burning the toxic waste of Union Carbide in the incineration centre of Ramky Plant (now Re Sustainability) located in Pithampur, and these preparations are in the final stage. Given this, the residents of Pithampur and the organisations fighting for the rights of the gas victims are continuously protesting.

They say, "We will not let Pithampur become another Bhopal."

In such a situation, it becomes important to understand how dangerous this waste of Union Carbide is, what chemicals are present in it, and whether India is capable of disposing of such waste. 

Fight against underground toxic waste

The Union Carbide factory in Bhopal, established in 1969, has left a devastating environmental legacy. For 15 years, the facility dumped toxic waste in 21 unlined pits across its 68-acre premises, contaminating groundwater. By 1977, three waste ponds sprawling across 32 acres near the factory regularly overflowed during monsoons, poisoning surrounding areas.

In 1996, factory management attempted a cover-up, bulldozing toxic sludge from two ponds and burying it under the soil. Ten thousand metric tonnes of sludge were transferred to a third pond northwest of the factory. Today, this waste continues to contaminate groundwater in 22 nearby communities, threatening public health within a 3-4 kilometre radius.

While gas victims' organisations argue that the waste that the government is going to dispose of could be safely contained in steel vessels, they point to a larger crisis: the unaddressed toxic materials buried throughout the factory grounds and in the 32-acre pond.

"The 345 MT the government plans to dispose of represents less than 0.05 percent of the total hazardous waste," says Rashida B, 2004 Goldman Prize recipient and President of Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationary Karamchari Sangh. "Meanwhile, thousands suffer from serious diseases caused by waste that remains ignored."

What is Union Carbide's waste?

Government reports reveal the staggering scale of contamination at the Union Carbide site. According to CSIR, the premises contain 1.1 million metric tonnes of contaminated soil, 1 metric tonne of mercury, 1,500 metric tonnes of corroded plant material, and 150 metric tonnes of underground chemical waste.

A 2010 NEERI report warns of severe health consequences without proper cleanup of the Solar Evaporation Pond's 1.1 million tonnes of contaminated soil. Decades of exposure to tainted groundwater have caused birth defects and compounded the suffering of gas disaster survivors, who already battle respiratory, neurological, reproductive, and endocrine disorders.

"The court-ordered clean water supply to 42 affected colonies is insufficient," says Nasreen Khan of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila-Purush Sangharsh Morcha. "This waste continues to spread, threatening groundwater across Bhopal. Without proper cleanup, the contamination will persist."

The 2005 court-mandated waste collection yielded 165 metric tonnes of contaminated soil, 95 metric tonnes of tar, 29 metric tonnes of reactor sludge, and 56.4 metric tonnes of semi-processed pesticides, yet this represents only a fraction of the total contamination.

Timeline of waste disposal operations

The battle to address Bhopal's toxic legacy began in July 2004 when resident Alok Pratap Singh filed a writ petition in the Madhya Pradesh High Court, demanding toxic waste removal and environmental remediation.

Between 2010 and 2015, Ramky Enviro Engineers' Pithampur Industrial Waste Management Private Centre (PIDWMC) conducted seven trial runs to incinerate the toxic waste. After six failed attempts, the seventh trial succeeded, leading to plans for destroying 347 metric tonnes of waste at their facility.

In 2021, the Madhya Pradesh government awarded PIDWMC the tender to dispose of the remaining 337 metric tonnes of waste. Following this, the Gas Relief Minister secured ₹126 crore from the Central Government for waste disposal operations in Pithampur. The state government tasked the Gas Relief Department with managing the waste transportation.

Under Madhya Pradesh High Court orders, the waste must be removed from the factory site before January 6, 2025. A safe corridor will be established for transporting the waste from Bhopal to Pithampur.

Recently, key officials conducted a comprehensive inspection of the facilities, including IAS Swatantra Kumar Singh (Director of Gas Relief and Rehabilitation Department), Dhar District Collector Priyank Mishra, and representatives from both the MP Pollution Control Board and Central Pollution Control Board. Their focus was on examining the company premises and its state-of-the-art incinerator.

Dangers of incineration

"This waste contains significant organochlorine that, when burnt unsafely, releases dioxins and furans—among the most toxic chemicals known to humans,"

warns Rachna Dhingra of the Bhopal Group for Information and Action. Her concerns are validated by CPCB's environmental assessment, which found Tarpura residents were exposed to dangerous levels of these chemicals during trial runs, risking lung damage, reproductive issues, cancer, and foetal harm.

IAS Swatantra Singh Kumar, Director of the Gas Relief and Rehabilitation Department, defends the process: 

"Following court instructions, we are committed to disposing of Union Carbide waste with full safety compliance and highest standards. The successful 2015 trial run confirms environmental safety. This work will proceed scientifically and strategically."

However, Dhingra counters with expert reports:

"No incinerator in India can safely handle Bhopal's hazardous waste. Yet the government plans to burn it in Pithampur using taxpayer money. Storage in stainless steel containers would be cheaper and safer."

The waste will double after the process

"Burning Bhopal's waste in Pithampur for up to a year will expose nearly 100,000 people to airborne toxins—effectively engineering another disaster," warns Nawab Khan of Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha.

A 2023 Ministry of Environment inspection report reveals a troubling detail: incinerating 300 metric tonnes of waste will generate 900 metric tonnes of residue, requiring separate storage at the Pithampur facility.

"It's absurd," says Rachana.

"We're spending crores of public money to dispose of Carbide's waste, only to create triple the amount of contamination that will eventually pollute our groundwater."

Recovery from Dow Chemical

Rashida B advocates for international accountability:

"The government should demand Dow Chemicals take this waste to the US, following Tamil Nadu's precedent with Unilever's mercury waste in Kodaikanal. Costs should be recovered from Dow Chemicals to protect taxpayers and set standards for future industrial disasters."

Despite the polluter pays principle in both Indian and US law, Dow Chemical and Union Carbide have evaded responsibility, claiming immunity from Indian jurisdiction.

"The government named Dow Chemical liable for Union Carbide's damages and demanded ₹350 crore in 2010 for waste cleanup," says Balkrishna Namdev of Bhopal Gas Peedit Sangharsh Morcha. "Yet there's no real effort to make them pay for Bhopal's ongoing environmental disaster."

Five gas survivors' organisations have united, demanding a ban on Dow Chemical's Indian operations until it remedies the factory site contamination and compensates victims of soil and groundwater pollution.

Already on the brink of death...

Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh's largest industrial zone, faces a new environmental threat. Two dozen villages within 3-4 kilometres of the Pithampur Industrial Waste Management Private Limited (PIWMC) already struggle with industrial pollution. Now, plans to incinerate Union Carbide's toxic waste have sparked fresh fears.

Tarpura village, just 250 meters from the waste management facility, bears the worst impact. "Smoke clouds hover over our homes daily. Well, water is undrinkable, and we depend on municipal supply," says resident Tulsiram Bai. Sajan Devi adds, "Villagers are falling ill, and the water causes skin irritation."

"The factory chimney emissions make it impossible to go outside—the foul smell causes suffocation and vomiting," she continues. Deepak Yadav recalls earlier test burns:

"When Union Carbide's waste was incinerated 10-12 years ago, many villagers fell ill. People lost vision temporarily due to eye irritation. Though the burning was gradual, health effects persisted for years."

Environmental concerns extend beyond immediate health impacts. Dr. Tapan Bhattacharya, state convenor of Azadi Bachao Andolan, warns:

"Two drains from the Ramki plant—one flowing toward Dhar and another joining the Gambhir river—constantly carry contaminated chemicals. Instead of relocating this hazardous facility, they're preparing to burn the world's most toxic waste here, threatening both Pithampur and Dhar-Indore residents."

Dr. Hemat Hirole, Pithampur Bachao Samiti president, highlights another risk: "Ramki's elevated location means contaminated runoff spreads throughout the region during monsoons. Ten villages already suffer from industrial pollution. Previous tests with 40 tonnes of Bhopal waste resulted in crop destruction and widespread skin diseases."

The affected villages include Tarpura, Chirakhan, Machal, Silotiya, Bagoda, Dhannad, Kisanpura, and seventeen others. Protests continue in Pithampur, including a recent demonstration led by MP Congress Party President Jitu Patwari on December 22.

Earlier, the MP government was also against it

Hyderabad-based Ramky Environment Company (PIWMC) manages Madhya Pradesh's industrial waste disposal, including a small test quantity of Union Carbide waste buried at their Pithampur site. This initial trial sparked widespread protests from citizens and politicians alike.

In 2012, then Environment Minister Jayant Malaiya and Gas Relief Minister Babulal Gaur opposed waste disposal in Pithampur. The state government even filed a Supreme Court affidavit against the incineration, citing concerns for Tarpura village's 2,500 residents living just 250 meters from the facility. They demanded resident rehabilitation before any waste processing.

Yet the government's dramatic reversal remains unexplained. Officials haven't justified rejecting safer, cheaper disposal alternatives nor addressed their failure to rehabilitate Tarpura's residents. The community was never consulted about the incineration plans, while gas victims' persistent concerns continue to be dismissed.

As protests mount in Pithampur, supported by gas victims' organisations, a critical question emerges: Will authorities finally heed these voices of concern, or will they be silenced like countless others in the decades-long Bhopal tragedy? As the toxic legacy of one of history's worst industrial disasters threatens to claim new victims in Pithampur, the fate of thousands of people remains in the balance.

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