BBC Hindi
Vegetable seller Shivnarayan Dasana had never seen so many policemen coming to his village in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
The 60-year-old lives in Tarapur in the industrial city of Pithampur, known for its automobile and pharmaceutical factories. The city has been tense since containers with 337 tons of toxic waste were removed from the site of one of the world’s largest industrial disasters. arrived for treatment three weeks ago.
Waste transported from the now defunct Union Carbide plant in the city of Bhopal – site of the 1984 gas tragedy. killed thousand – caused fears among the locals.
They worry that dumping near their homes could be harmful and even cause an environmental disaster.
Protests broke out on January 3, a day after the waste arrived in the city, escalating into stone-throwing and attempts at self-immolation.
Since then, heavy police patrols in the vicinity of the dumping ground have turned Tarapur and surrounding areas into a virtual garrison.
Police have registered seven cases against 100 people since the protests began, but citizens continue to raise concerns about industrial pollution at smaller community meetings.
The toxic waste removed from the Bhopal plant included five types of hazardous materials – including pesticide residues and “forever chemicals” left over from the manufacturing process. These chemicals are so named because they retain their toxic properties indefinitely.
Over the decades, these chemicals seeped into the surrounding environment, creating a health hazard for people living around the Bhopal plant.
But officials dismiss fears that dumping will cause environmental problems in Pithampur.
Senior Swatantra official Kumar Singh described a step-by-step process in an attempt to reassure the public.
“Hazardous waste will be incinerated at 1200C (2192F), with 90kg (194.4lb) test batches followed by 270kg batches over three months if toxicity levels are safe,” he said.
Mr Singh explained that “four-layer filtration will purify the smoke”, which will prevent toxins from entering the air, and the incineration residue will be “sealed in a double-layer membrane” and “buried in a specialized landfill” to prevent soil and groundwater pollution. .
“We have trained 100 ‘master trainers’ and are holding sessions to explain the disposal process and build public confidence,” said administrator Priyank Mishra.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav also defended the landfill, calling it safe and necessary. He urged the residents to legally voice their concerns, noting that the disposal was done only after the order of the high court.
Environmental experts, however, have different views on the process.
Some like Subhash C Pandey believe that dumping poses no risk if done properly. Others, like Shyamala Mani, call for alternatives to incineration. She claims that incineration increases residual slag and releases harmful toxins such as mercury and dioxin.
Ms. Mani suggests that bioremediation, a process in which microorganisms are used to break down harmful substances in waste, could be a more efficient and environmentally friendly solution.
But residents remain skeptical.
“It’s not just waste. It’s poison,” 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 reality for the residents of Pithampur. Residents cite past groundwater pollution and ongoing health problems as reasons for skepticism.
The city’s rapid industrial growth in the 1980s led to the accumulation of hazardous waste, contaminated water and soil with mercury, arsenic and sulfates. By 2017, the federal agency Central Pollution Control Bureau had designated severe pollution in the area.
Locals claim that many companies do not comply with the rules of disposal of non-hazardous waste, but instead dump it into the ground or water. Tests in 2024 showed increased harmful substances in the water. Activists link this to alleged environmental violations at the landfill, but officials have denied this.
“The water filters in our homes don’t last two months. Skin diseases and kidney stones are common now. Pollution has made life unbearable,” said Pankaj Patel, 32, of Chirakhan village, pointing to his water purifier that needs to be replaced frequently.
Srinivas Dwivedi, regional officer of the State Pollution Control Board, dismissed the concerns, saying it was “unrealistic” to expect pre-industrial conditions in Pithampur.
Meanwhile, in Bhopal, nearly 230 km (143 miles) from Pithampur, activists say the disposal process is distracting from much bigger problems.
Since the disaster, toxic material has lain in the shuttered plant for decades, contaminating groundwater in surrounding areas.
More than 1.1 million tons of contaminated soil remained at the Union Carbide plant, according to a 2010 report by the National Institute of Environmental Engineering and the National Geophysical Research Institute.
“The government is making a show of dumping 337 metric tonnes while ignoring a much bigger problem in Bhopal,” said Nityanand Jayaraman, a leading environmentalist.
“The contamination has worsened over the years, but the government has done little to address it,” added Rachna Dhingra, another activist.
Government estimates say 3,500 people died shortly after the gas leak, and more than 15,000 died later. Activists claim that the number of victims is much higher, and victims continue to suffer from the side effects of poisoning.
“Given Pithampur’s history of pollution, residents’ fears are justified,” said Mr. Jayaraman.
Officials said they were only “dealing with waste as directed by the court.”
But the reality of Bhopal has deepened mistrust among the people of Pithampur, who are now ready to take to the streets again to oppose dumping.
Vegetable seller Shivnarayan Dasana said the problem goes beyond waste.
“It’s about survival – ours and our children’s,” he said.
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