Forty years after the Bhopal gas tragedy, 377 tons of hazardous waste has been shifted from the defunct Union Carbide factory for its disposal.
The toxic waste was transported on Wednesday in 12 sealed container trucks from Madhya Pradesh’s capital Bhopal to Pithampur industrial area in Dhar district, 250km away.
“Nearly 100 persons worked in 30-minute shifts since Sunday to pack and load the waste in trucks,” said Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Department Director Swatantra Kumar Singh. “They underwent health check-ups and were given rest every 30 minutes.”
Highly toxic methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas leaked from the Union Carbide pesticide factory on the night of Dec 2, 1984, killing at least 5,479 people and leaving thousands with serious and long-lasting health issues.
