How the 377 tonnes of hazardous waste from the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal was moved for disposal

The shifting of  377 tons of hazardous waste from the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal began on Wednesday, four decades after the Bhopal gas tragedy that killed over 15,000 people. The move comes almost a month after the Madhya Pradesh High Court set a four-week deadline for the authorities to dispose of the toxic waste.

The toxic waste filled in 12 specialised container trucks was moved to the Pithampur industrial area in Dhar district, 250 km away from Bhopal. The government's plan to dispose of the waste in Pithampur has irked the activists and residents who have filed a petition in the High Court seeking a stay in the disposal of the waste. 

The work to move the waste from the factory began on Sunday afternoon when the waste stored in bags inside the factory was packed into jumbo HDPE (high-density polyethylene) non-reactive bags to ensure no chemical reactions during transportation. By Tuesday night, the waste was loaded into containers by 50 labourers who were clad in full PPE.  

The waste included remnants of Sevin, a pesticide produced at the Union Carbide factory, methyl isocyanate (MIC), the gas that caused thousands of deaths during the disaster, reactor residues, contaminated soil and other chemicals used at the plant. While there are 162 metric tonnes of soil, the Sevin and naphthol residues amount to 92 metric tonnes. There is  54 metric tonnes of semi-processed pesticides and 29 metric tonnes of reactor waste.

The labourers were rotated on 30-minute shifts. The labourers were subjected to health checks immediately after they removed their PPE kits. The workers also had access to a temporary medical facility, rest areas, and bathing facilities.

The toxic waste is being shifted in 12 sealed container trucks to the Pithampur industrial area in Dhar district, 250 km away from Bhopal. The trucks will embark on a seven-hour journey along the green corridor created for the vehicles.  Each truck, with two drivers each, has to move at a speed of 40-50 km per hour, halting briefly at designated points. The trucks will have police escorts, ambulances, fire brigades, and a quick response team accompanying the convoy. 

The incineration of the waste will happen at the Pithampur unit over a period of 180 days. The moving of the waste from the factory to the unit in the containers will take 20 days. The waste will then be shifted to a blending shed where it will be mixed with regents and then packed into small bags weighing 3-9 kg. 

The final process of incineration will happen on the 76th day after every government department involved in the incineration gives the nod. This is to ensure the SOP is followed and the disposal does not pollute the air or the soil. "If everything is found to be fine, the waste will be incinerated within three months. Otherwise, it might take up to nine months," Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Department Director Swatantra Kumar Singh told PTI.

The small portion of the waste will initially be burnt and the residue examined to find whether any harmful elements are left, Singh said. "The smoke from the incinerator will pass through special four-layer filters so that the surrounding air is not polluted," he added.

After confirming that there are no traces of toxic elements, the ash will be covered by a two-layer membrane and buried to ensure it does not come in contact with soil and water in any way. The process will happen under the supervision of the Central Pollution Control Board and the State Pollution Control Board officials.