Bhopal's toxic legacy ignored as garbage dumping defies court orders

The site of the former Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) plant and its adjacent Solar Evaporation Pond (SEP) in Bhopal have become illegal garbage dumping grounds. This comes despite clear orders from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to secure and protect the area. Activists and survivors of the Bhopal gas tragedy have accused the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) of deliberate neglect. The National Green Tribunal recently issued strict directives for the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board (MPPCB) and the state government. They were ordered to immediately secure all unguarded sections of the old UCC plant. The tribunal also mandated reinforced boundary fencing around the SEP and other vulnerable areas.

The NGT further specified that all hazardous zones, buried waste pits, and unlined evaporation ponds must remain cordoned off. Buffer zones were to be strictly enforced to prevent unauthorised access or contamination.

Despite these measures, Rachna Dhingra of the Bhopal Group for Information and Action (BGIA) claims the BMC is dumping waste intentionally. She alleges this is an attempt to obstruct chemical waste remediation efforts. Survivors of the 1984 gas disaster have echoed these concerns, blaming the BMC for levelling the SEP with garbage.

Ram Ratan Lohiya, BMC Assistant Health Officer for Zone-17, counters that the corporation has already removed garbage from the SEP. He states the waste, dumped by residents and meat traders, was transported to the Adampur landfill site. The NGT’s orders remain in place, requiring full securing of the site and strict buffer zones. The BMC insists it has acted to clear dumped waste, but activists continue to demand accountability. The dispute highlights ongoing challenges in managing the legacy of the Bhopal disaster.