In a recent ruling, India’s Supreme Court has decided that trial runs for burning toxic waste from the Bhopal Gas Tragedy can go ahead. This decision comes despite worries about health risks to people living nearby and possible pollution of soil and water.
The Supreme Court looked at a report from a group of experts, including members from respected scientific organizations, who are supervising the safe transport and disposal of 337 metric tonnes of toxic waste. This waste comes from the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal, the site of a deadly gas leak in 1984 that claimed many lives.
Chinmay Mishra, a resident of Indore, was worried about this plan and asked the court to stop it. He believed the local people could be harmed by this operation. However, the court has approved the waste incineration, which will start with trial runs on February 27 and continue with two more on March 4 and March 10, burning 10 metric tonnes at a time.
The judges expressed confidence that the expert committee, which includes the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) and others, knows what they are doing. They even pointed out that the Madhya Pradesh government had assured them all necessary safety measures are being followed.
Some residents of Pithampur and local organizations argued against the incineration, claiming that not all locals agreed to it. They even stated that the state misled the court regarding the community’s support.
During the discussions, the judges noted that the opposers seemed to want the waste stored far from their homes, but not in their neighborhoods. A lawyer speaking for an NGO suggested that there might be better ways than burning to handle this toxic waste.
The waste, which has been stored at the old factory site for 40 years, poses risks to the surrounding villages. One village is located just 250 meters away, and concerns were raised about the drinking water supply from the nearby Gambhir River, which serves a large part of Indore.
This controversial incineration plan continues to raise questions about safety and community concerns as the trials move forward.
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