First trial of Union Carbide waste disposal begins

The process to conduct the first trial run of disposing of a 10-tonne batch of the Union Carbide’s 40-year-old toxic waste began at an incineration facility in Madhya Pradesh’s Pithampur on Thursday, an official said. The steps were initiated after the Supreme Court declined to intervene in the matter.

Manoj Kumar Singh, Superintendent of Police, Dhar, told The Hindu that 10 tonnes of the waste had been unloaded from the containers and the bags were being opened carefully. The incineration process would likely start early Friday after undertaking all the necessary safety measures, he said.

The process began shortly after the Supreme Court rejected a petition that had challenged the Madhya Pradesh government’s plans to dispose 358 tonnes of Union Carbide waste in Pithampur. The top court also refused to stay the three trial runs of 10 tonnes each, allowed by the High Court on February 18.