After 40 Years, Union Carbide Waste Disposal Enters Final Phase

The Madhya Pradesh government submitted a status report to the High Court on Thursday regarding the three-phase trial run for disposing of toxic waste from the defunct Union Carbide plant.

It informed the division bench that the remaining waste could be safely disposed of within 72 days.

The bench, led by Chief Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Vivek Jain, ordered that the incineration be completed on time, following legal guidelines and safety measures.

The government stated that the trial run—disposing of 30 metric tons of waste (10 metric tons per phase) as per the HC’s February 18 order—was successfully completed.

It also assured that the remaining waste could be incinerated under central and state pollution control board supervision at an optimum feed rate of 270 kg per hour.

After 40 years of the tragedy, 358 metric tons of toxic waste from the Union Carbide plant was transported for disposal on January 1-2, 2025, as per the MP High Court’s order.