Plan to dispose of Union Carbide waste runs into trouble

The plan to dispose off 346 tonnes of industrial waste lying at the now defunct Union Carbide factory in Bhopal has run into trouble in the absence of certain equipment.

Some NGOs in Indore have said the government should take the people into confidence before beginning the disposal and that they would be forced to approach the courts if the waste is disposed off without addressing environment and human concerns.

The waste is planned to be disposed off at Pithampur industrial area and a private company Ramki Enviro Engineers has been assigned the work of disposing the waste at Union Carbide factory.

"Though the trial run of the incinerator based in Pithampur has begun using the waste of other industries, it does not have Multi- Effect Evaporator (MEE) or the emission Online Monitoring System (OMS) to keep a track on waste disposal, Pithampur Industrial Organisation president Gautam Kotari told PTI today.

"If the waste is disposed off without MEE and OMS, its burning will have a dangerous effect on nearly 50 lakh people living in and around Pithampur," he said.

The state government should clear the air over its plan to dispose of the waste of Union Carbide and the local people should be taken into confidence, Dr Bharat Chhaparwal of Lok Maitri - an NGO said.

Chhaparwal, former vice-chancellor of Devi Ahiliya University said that the Pithampur's Incinerator can dispose of ordinary waste.

"If steps are taken to destroy the industrial waste of Union Carbide in the incinerator without addressing the  environment and human concerns, we will knock at the doors of the court," he declared.

In 2007, around 40 tonnes waste of the Union Carbide was carted to Pithampur and buried in a hush-hush manner, Chhaparwal said.