41 years on, Bhopal disaster waste incinerated

INDORE: A sad chapter in the world’s largest industrial catastrophe , the Bhopal Gas Disaster , ended on Sunday with the complete incineration of 337 metric tons of toxic waste at the Treatment Storage Disposal Facility (TDSF) in Pithampur of MP’s Dhar district.

Hazardous waste from the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal, preserved in bags at the factory premises for over four decades, was scientifically transported to Pithampur plant, approximately 250 km away, in early Jan.

“The incineration process… was completed late on Sunday at 1 am,” said SN Dwivedi, regional officer of the Pollution Control Board in Indore and in charge of the Dhar regional office. Dwivedi said emissions, including particulate matter (PM), sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride, heavy metals, and total organic carbon, remained within acceptable limits during incineration.

“A dedicated real-time mercury tracking system was installed at the premises to monitor its levels, while two continuous ambient air quality monitoring systems were set up at Chirakhan and Bajrangpura villages to monitor real-time air pollutant levels,” he said.

The incineration process at Pithampur produced approximately 800 tons of ash and residues, which are scheduled for landfill disposal. The remaining materials, including packaging and soil used to transport the 337 metric tons from Bhopal to Pithampur, weighing about 21 tons, are expected to be incinerated by July 3.