By IANS
Bhopal : Survivors of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy Sunday declared they would not allow any portion of Union Carbide's hazardous chemical waste, believed to be over 8,000 tonnes, to be taken out of the factory premises for incineration or as landfill as it would cause irreparable harm to the environment and people.
The waste is to be sent either to Ankleshwar in Gujarat for incineration or for land filling at Pithampur in the state.
"Our sufferings have made us resolve that we cannot let other people anywhere suffer like us. We will not allow Bhopal-like disasters in Ankleshwar and Pithampur and will fight every inch to ensure that the waste is not transported for unsafe disposal," Rashida Bee, president of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh (BGPMSKS), told a press conference.
"Dow Chemical (which now owns Union Carbide) must carry this waste to USA like Unilever carried the mercury waste from Kodaikanal in Tamilnadu to USA in 2003," she said.
The other three organisations present were Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha (BGPMPSM), Bhopal ki Aawaaz (BKA) and Bhopal Group for Information and Action (BGIA).
The Bhopal gas tragedy, the world's worst man-made industrial disaster that left thousands dead instantly and maimed several thousand others for life, occurred on Dec 2-3, 1984, when more than 40 tonnes of lethal Methyl Iso-Cyanate and other toxic gases spewed out of Union Carbide's pesticide plant.
"The pesticide factory premises is still believed to be carrying over 8,000 tonnes of chemical waste that was recklessly dumped below and above the ground in and around the factory," alleged Satinath Sarangi of BGIA.
More than 10 studies by government and non-government scientific agencies have pointed out the presence of toxic chemicals in the ground water that could cause cancer and birth defects.
The Bhopal survivors' organisations hold Dow Chemical Company, that took over Union Carbide in 2001, liable for the toxic legacy and are demanding costs to clean up the place and compensation for injuries as per the "polluter pays" principle.
Condemning the Madhya Pradesh government's plans for disposal of 386 tonnes of Union Carbide's hazardous waste at Ankleshwar, Gujarat, and Pithampur near Indore, the leaders of the organisations demanded that the recommendation of the Technical Sub-Committee (of the Task Force) set up by the high court on this matter be implemented.
The Technical Sub-Committee comprising government and non-government scientists has recommended that the government must make Dow Chemicals carry the hazardous waste from Bhopal to USA or elsewhere with facilities for safe disposal.