How Disposal of Bhopal Gas Leak's Toxic Waste May Spark Big Health Crisis
NDTV
The department of Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation will oversee the waste treatment at a facility in Indore's Pithampur at a cost of Rs 126 crore
Nearly 40 years after the gas leak at Bhopal's Union Carbide factory left over 5,000 people dead and severely affected thousands more, the Madhya Pradesh government is set to begin incinerating 345 metric tonnes of the toxic waste from the ruins of the factory.
The department of Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation will oversee the waste treatment at a facility in Indore's Pithampur. The Centre has allocated Rs 126 crore for this project, set to begin this month. This waste is just 5 per cent of the hazardous waste that lies buried in and around the factory.
Massive Health Risk
The incineration of toxic waste is likely to release organochlorines in large quantities and produce carcinogenic chemicals such as dioxins and furans, posing a massive health risk to local residents and the environment. According to a WHO report from last year, dioxins "are highly toxic and can cause reproductive and developmental problems, damage the immune system, interfere with hormones and also cause cancer". It is for this reason that states such as Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat have earlier refused to incinerate this waste.
