First trial run of Union Carbide waste incineration ends after 75 hours

The trial incineration of 10 out of 337 tonnes of hazardous waste, transported from the now-defunct Union Carbide factory in Bhopal to Pithampur in Dhar district in January for safe disposal, commenced on February 28 afternoon

Indore: At least 10 tonnes of toxic waste linked to the 1984 gas tragedy at Bhopal’s Union Carbide plant has been incinerated at a facility in Madhya Pradesh‘s Pithampur by the end of the first phase of trial of the waste disposal, an official said. The gas emissions during the trial remained within standard limits, the official said on Monday.

The trial incineration of 10 out of 337 tonnes of hazardous waste, transported from the now-defunct Union Carbide factory in Bhopal to Pithampur in Dhar district in January for safe disposal, commenced on February 28 afternoon. The first phase of the trial burning of the waste at a disposal facility was completed on Monday, the official said.

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Talking to reporters, Indore Division Commissioner Deepak Singh said, “We began the incineration of 10 tonnes of Union Carbide factory waste at Pithampur’s waste disposal facility on Friday, and the process was completed on Monday.” Without disclosing specific details, Singh said the gas emissions during the first phase of the trial remained within permissible limits.

A team from the Pollution Control Board closely monitored the entire process, and the air quality remained normal in both Pithampur and Indore, about 30 km from the facility, he said.

Preparations are underway for the second phase of the trial on March 4, in which another 10 tonnes of waste will be incinerated, Singh said.

In a press statement, the pollution board said, “The emissions from this incineration plant during waste disposal in the last 24 hours, including particulate matter (PM), sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride, and total organic carbon, were found to be within the standard limits.” “The emissions recorded during the first phase of testing are being analysed, and the second phase of testing is scheduled to begin on March 4 (Tuesday),” it added.

The board is monitoring ambient air quality at five locations around the hazardous waste disposal plant in Pithampur, including three villages, while the Union Carbide waste is being incinerated, the statement said.

Srinivas Dwivedi, regional officer of the MP Pollution Control Board, said that the first trial of burning Union Carbide waste lasted for about 75 hours, during which 135 kilograms of waste was fed into the incinerator every hour. During the second phase of testing, 180 kg of waste would be incinerated per hour, he added.

Nearly 60 officials and employees were involved in the first phase of testing, including around 20 personnel from the Central andState pollution control boards, who monitored the process, Dwivedi said.