Justice Served: Union Carbide’s Toxic Legacy Faces Scrutiny in India’s Landmark Waste Disposal Trial
Madhya Pradesh’s Pithampur Plant Incinerates 10 Tonnes of Hazardous Waste from Union Carbide Bhopal Factory
The first trial run of incinerating 10 metric tonnes of hazardous waste from the Union Carbide Bhopal factory in Madhya Pradesh’s Pithampur plant has concluded, with emissions from the chimney found to be within prescribed limits. The plant, operated by the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board (MPPCB), successfully burned off the waste under the supervision of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Jabalpur bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
Monitoring of emissions from the plant’s chimney during the burning process showed that the levels of seven pollutants and gases, including particulate matter, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen chloride, and total organic carbon, were within the prescribed standards. The peak emission of hydrogen fluoride gas was recorded at 4.44 micrograms per cubic meter, slightly above the prescribed limit of 4 micrograms per cubic meter, while the average reading was 0.82 micrograms per cubic meter.
The incineration process was carried out on Sunday and Monday, with the waste being fed into the incinerator at a rate of 135 kilograms per hour between 3 pm and 5:15 pm. The trial run was completed at 5:15 pm, after which the incinerator continued to burn off the remaining waste until 6:30 pm.
The MPPCB took ambient air quality measurements at five locations around the plant and in villages near the facility, all of which were found to be within the prescribed standards. The successful trial run paves the way for a possible second trial run, subject to the analysis of emission samples collected from the plant’s stack and the outcome of any maintenance required for the incinerator.
According to MPPCB’s regional officer, Shrinivas Dwivedi, the organization will wait for the emission sample analysis and incinerator maintenance before deciding on the next course of action. The trial incineration is a significant step towards addressing the legacy of the Union Carbide Bhopal factory’s environmental impact, which has been the subject of much controversy and concern over the years.
Original Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/union-carbide-waste-disposal-first-trial-concludes-samples-taken-for-analysis-9866946/
Category : India
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Publish Date: 2025-03-04 04:26:00
