Bhopal, Dec 2 (IANS) In the past 41 years of the world’s largest chemical disaster, better known as ‘Bhopal Gas Tragedy’, what major relief for the people of the ‘City of Lakes’ came when 358 metric tons of toxic waste of defunct Union Carbide plant was eventually shifted to Pithampur on January 1 this year.

After shifting of hazardous toxic waste from Bhopal to Pithampur, the biggest challenge before the authorities were to convince people opposing the step and to incinerate the waste ensuring that the process will not affect the lives of human beings, water, and environment in the surrounding area.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav-led Madhya Pradesh government showed its determination and managed to convince people opposing the development and the toxic waste was finally incinerated in multiple steps.

Now, the state government is faced with yet another problem and that is what to do with about 900 tons of residual ash that was generated after incineration of 358 tons of chemical waste of the Union Carbide plant.

This challenge became larger as the Madhya Pradesh High Court earlier in October this year rejected the state government’s proposal to store the toxic ash.

As a result, about 900 metric ton residual ash still lies in containers at a private factory where Union Carbide’s toxic waste was incinerated.

The state government will now have to find another way to finish the toxic ash and end the problem forever.

A senior official associated with Bhopal Gas Tragedy and Rehabilitation Department told IANS that the state government is mulling to find another solution and which is likely to be brought before the High Court seeking its approval in the coming weeks.

On the other side in Bhopal, survivors of the tragedy still fighting for justice and multiple cases are being heard in Bhopal District Court and the Supreme Court, including whether the Indian court can prosecute the Union Carbide Corporation’s then CEO Warren Anderson, who died in 2014.

At least 5,479 people died and thousands were maimed for life after the highly toxic methyl isocyanate gas leaked from the Union Carbide Corporation’s pesticide unit in Bhopal on the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984.

–IANS

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