Mercury Alarm Over 900 Tonnes Of Union Carbide Waste Ash In Pithampur, MPPCB Files High Court Report

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board (MPPCB) has submitted a report to the High Court concerning the disposal of toxic waste from the Union Carbide factory. This report reveals the presence of heavy metals, particularly mercury, in the ash remaining after the incineration process. A division bench, comprising Justices Vivek Agarwal and BP Sharma, has acknowledged the report and set the next hearing for November 27.

Environmental groups have expressed grave concerns over the findings, claiming the ash contains elevated mercury concentrations. In 2004, Alok Pratap Singh filed a petition in the High Court, seeking the proper disposal of toxic waste from Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL). After Singh's passing, the court continued to hear the matter on a suo motu basis.

Following a court directive, the toxic waste was transported to Pithampur in Dhar district, where it was burned at the Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facility (TSDF), producing approximately 900 metric tonnes of residual ash. Environmental groups, including Pithampur Bachao Samiti and Bhopal groups, have raised alarms over the high levels of mercury detected in this 900 metric tonne waste residue.