Toxic waste from deadly leak fuels protests in India

Vegetable seller Shivnarayan Dasana had never seen so many policemen descend on his village in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.

A 60-year-old man lives in Tarapur in the industrial town of Pithampur, known for its automobile and pharmaceutical industries. The town has been troubled since the tankers carrying 337 tons of toxic waste from the site of industrial accidents around the world. it came to an end three weeks ago.

Waste, taken from the Union Carbide plant that has been operating in the city of Bhopal – the site of the 1984 gas disaster itself. to be killed thousands – has caused panic among local people.

They are worried that dumping it near their homes could be harmful or pollute the environment.

The protests started on January 3, a day after the debris arrived in the town, it escalated to stone throwing and suicide attempts.

Since then, police patrolling near the dumping site has patrolled Tarapur and surrounding areas in the army.

Police have registered seven cases against 100 people since the protests began, but residents of the town continue to raise concerns about industrial pollution in small public gatherings.

The toxic waste removed from the Bhopal factory included five types of hazardous materials – including pesticide residues and “permanent chemicals” left over from manufacturing. The drug is also named because it remains toxic forever.

Over the years, the chemicals have seeped into the environment, causing danger to the people living around the Bhopal factory.

But officials have dismissed fears of dumping of waste causing environmental problems in Pithampur.

Swatantra chief executive Kumar Singh explained the process to reassure the public.

“Hazardous waste will be heated at 1,200C (2,192F), with 90kg (194.4lb) tests followed by 270kg batches in three months if toxic levels are positive,” he said.

Mr. Singh explained that “four-stage filtration will purify the smoke”, which will prevent toxins from entering the atmosphere and the residue will be “sealed in a double membrane” and “buried in a special landfill” to prevent soil and groundwater contamination.

“We have trained 100 ‘teachers’ and are holding sessions to explain how the service is being used and encourage people to trust each other,” said manager Priyank Mishra.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has also defended garbage disposal, calling it safe and necessary. He has asked the people to express their concerns legally noting that the removal was done only after the order of the high court.

But environmentalists have different opinions on the matter.

Others like Subhash C Pandey believe that disposal is not a risk if done properly. Others, like Shyamala Mani, want alternatives to burning. They say that burning adds residual slag and releases harmful toxins such as mercury and dioxins.

Ms. Mani suggests that bioremediation, the process of using microorganisms to break down harmful substances in waste, can be an effective and environmentally friendly solution.

But the people living in the country are still skeptical.

“It’s not just perishable. It’s poisonous,” said Gayatri Tiwari, a mother of five in Tarapur village. “What’s the point of life if we can’t breathe clean air or drink clean water?”

Pollution is an undeniable fact for the residents of Pithampur. Residents cite groundwater contamination and ongoing health problems as reasons for doubt.

The town’s rapid industrial development in the 1980s resulted in hazardous waste, contaminated water and soil containing mercury, arsenic and sulphates. As of 2017, the Central Pollution Control Bureau has declared that the area is severely polluted.

People in the area say that many companies do not follow the rules to dispose of non-hazardous waste, and choose to dispose of it in the soil or water. Tests in 2024 revealed hazardous substances in the water. Protesters link this to what they say is an environmental violation at the waste site but authorities deny this.

“The water filters in our homes don’t last two months. Skin diseases and kidney stones are common now. Pollution has made life difficult,” said Pankaj Patel, 32, from Chirakhan village, pointing to his water purifier that needs to be replaced periodically. more.

Srinivas Dwivedi, the district director of the State Pollution Control Board, dismissed the concerns, saying it was “unwise” to wait for developments before industrialization in Pithampur.

Meanwhile, in Bhopal, about 230km (143 miles) from Pithampur, activists are arguing that the spill is a distraction from important infrastructure.

Since the disaster, the toxic materials have remained in the mothballed factory for years, contaminating groundwater in the surrounding area.

More than 1.1 million tons of contaminated soil remains at the Union Carbide plant site, according to a 2010 report by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute and the National Geophysical Research Institute.

“The government shows dumping of 337 metric tons and ignores the big problem in Bhopal,” said Nityanand Jayaraman, an environmentalist.

“The damage has increased over the years, but the government has not done anything to stop it,” added Rachna Dhingra, another activist.

The government says 3,500 people died immediately after the exposure, and more than 15,000 died later. Activists say the threat has escalated, with victims still suffering from the effects of poisoning.

“Given Pithampur’s history of pollution, the residents’ fears are justified,” Jayaraman said.

Officials said they are “just dealing with the waste as ordered by the court”.

But the reality of Bhopal has fueled mistrust among the people of Pithampur, who are now ready to take to the streets again to protest against dumping.

Vegetable vendor Shivnarayan Dasana said the issue goes beyond just waste.

“It’s about survival – ours and our children’s,” he said.

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