337 metric tonnes of toxic waste: The challenge as work begins to clear site of Bhopal gas tragedy

“To ensure safety, traffic within a 2-kilometer radius around the containers has been stopped, with similar measures in place throughout the route. Five police vehicles are escorting the convoy,” said a senior police officer.

The relocation process commenced Sunday afternoon with the waste being packed into bags over four days. Loading of the waste into containers started Tuesday night and was completed by Wednesday afternoon.

By Wednesday night, the convoy set off for Pithampur and over 100 police personnel had been deployed to ensure the safe transport of the waste.

Each container has a unique identification number, and detailed route information has been shared with the district administration and police. The chosen route was selected to minimize traffic disruptions at night.

The specialised containers, which are moving at a speed of 40-50 km per hour, will halt briefly at designated points. Along with the containers, police escorts, ambulances, fire brigades, and a quick response team are accompanying the convoy. Each container is manned by two drivers.

337 metric tonnes of toxic waste: The challenge as work begins to clear site of Bhopal gas tragedy
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On December 3, the Madhya Pradesh High Court set a four-week deadline for the authorities to dispose of the toxic waste material. On December 5, the high court had pulled up the state government over the lack of progress in disposing of 337 MT of toxic waste, observing that the authorities were “still in a state of inertia despite 40 years”.

Pithampur is an industrial town near Indore, and the government’s plans to dispose of the waste in the town have long been met with protests from activists and residents with petitions being filed in the HC asking for a stay in the disposal of the waste. Gas tragedy relief department director Swatantra Kumar Singh, however, said incineration of toxic waste from the Union Carbide plant will “not have any adverse impact on the land and soil of villages.”

The project is expected to be executed in 180 days. In the first 20 days, the waste will be transported from the contaminated site to the disposal site in packed drums. Later, this waste is shifted from storage to a blending shed where it is mixed with regents and then packed into small bags weighing 3-9 kg.

The actual incineration will happen only on the 76th day after all the reports related to the incineration are sent to multiple departments for their approval before the actual disposal begins to ensure the air quality doesn’t deteriorate and the incineration takes place as per standard operating procedures.

Officials said stringent precautions were observed while handling the toxic waste. Air quality monitoring equipment was installed at three locations within the factory premises to measure levels of PM 10, PM 2.5, nitrogen oxide, and sulphur dioxide. Dust from the storage area was also included in the containers to prevent environmental contamination.

The 337 tons of waste, stored in bags inside the factory, were packed into jumbo HDPE (high-density polyethylene) non-reactive liners, ensuring no chemical reactions during transport. Over 50 labourers, clad in full PPE kits, were employed to fill the bags, officials said.

To maintain safety, workers were rotated every 30 minutes, and health checks were conducted immediately after they removed their PPE kits. A temporary medical facility, staffed with doctors, provided meals, rest areas, and bathing facilities for the labourers involved in the process.