MP Govt's plan to burn Carbide's toxic waste opposed

Bhopal, May 6 (UNI) Four organisations working among the survivors of the 1984 Union Carbide gas disaster have strongly objected the Madhya Pradesh Government's plan to dispose toxic waste of Union Carbide Factory in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

The organisations demanded that the recommendations of a technical committee -- comprising government and non-government scientists -- formed by the Supreme Court in this regard be implemented.

Bhopal Group For Information and Action spokesperson Satinath Sarangi told reporters here that the government had come out with a plan to dispose about 386 tonne toxic waste by burying it in Indore and it Gujarat's Ankleshwar.

He said the technical committee had clearly stated the DOW Chemicals should be pressurised to take the toxic waste to the US where it could be disposed safely.

He pointed out that several organisations had made it clear in their survey that toxic waste from Union Carbide factory premises was causing various diseases.

Mr Sarangi said the government wanted to dispose the waste in an unscientific manner. The waste proposed to be disposed was less than one per cent of the toxic substance.

He said the most important task before the government was to protect the toxic waste from rains before the start of monsoon season so that groundwater does not get polluted.

Mr Sarangi alleged that the state government had no scheme to dispose of thousands of tonne of toxic waste and cleaning polluted land and water.

Citing a report by Dr Shults, advisor of a joint project of India and Germany, he said burning of toxic waste in Ankleshwar would release dioxygen and other chemicals polluting the environment and badly affecting the health of about one lakh people.

He said the Gujarat Pollution Control Board had recently declared Ankleshwar as pollution-affected.

He said the four organisations -- Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh, Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha, Bhopal Group for Information and Action and Bhopal Ki Aawaaz -- had decided not allow the government dispose the toxic waster in Ankleshwar and Indore.

UNI