After over 40 years since the occurrence of Bhopal Gas Disaster in December 1984, the Madhya Pradesh administration, albeit on the strict directions of the High Court, initiated final steps to incinerate and dispose the hazardous waste of the M/s Union Carbide India Ltd (UCIL) Bhopal plant in Pithampur, Dhar district, as its ultimate graveyard.

The waste comprises 359 Metric Tonnes (MT) of contaminated soil, Sevin residue, semi-processed pesticide and lime sludge that had been recovered and stored at the UCIL premises in Bhopal in 2005. A NEERI report states that the total quantum of contaminated soil amounts to 11 lakh MT.

Previously, in 2015 the state government had incinerated toxic waste weighing 10 MT in Pithampur as part of the trial run on the directions of the Supreme Court. The results of the previous trial were documented terming it successful. While locals claimed that the incineration facility had adversely impacted them, with contamination of local water bodies and the groundwater. It was after this trial that SC had first issued directions for the incineration of remaining waste in Pithampur. However, the unending delays on the part of the administration perturbed the judicial bodies.

On 3 December 2024, the Madhya Pradesh High Court pulled up the Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation (BGTRR) Department of the Madhya Pradesh government for inaction in getting rid of the waste that had been sitting in the factory premises for over 40 years. Following which, the state government started to execute its plan for safe transportation, and disposal of the remaining waste in scientific manner at an incinerator facility in Pithampur, technically called a Treatment-Storage-Disposal Facility (TSDF). The High Court on 3 December 2024 set a four weeks deadline for the state government to initiate removal and transfer of the remaining waste.

The remaining 337 MT waste was shifted from Bhopal to Pithampur in January 2025 amidst clouds of grave concerns by local people who fear that the incineration of waste may lead to health hazardous and life-threatening consequences for generations in the region. On 3 January 2025, protest erupted in the town with incidents of stone pelting, while two people attempted self-immolation.

The protest was supported by Pithampur Bachao Samiti, which had been vocal about lack of trust in the entire disposal process, stating that people are being misled on waste disposal. The residents of Pithampur and activists fear that improper disposal of waste could risk turning their village into ‘another Bhopal’. Additionally, incidents of misinformation were also reported in January 2025, leading to registration of FIRs against the miscreants and three people being arrested.

During initiation of trial for disposal of waste, the local groups alleged that the MP Pollution Control Board (MPPCB) failed to provide complete report regarding the process.

After pacification and dispelling of misinformation, the 337 MT of toxic waste was incinerated scientifically in batches over a period of 55 days under high-level monitoring and supervision of the authorities, including by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and MPPCB.

Later this year, it was revealed that the affidavits filed by the state government and CPCB before the High Court, reflected disparate numbers relating to the quantity of heavy metals including mercury in the residual ash. The HC is adjudicating the issue of disposal of waste, with separate petitions filed by residents of Pithampur and Indore claiming environmental harm and concerns over after-effects such disposal may have on the region.

Despite findings of the mercury levels being on the lower side by MPPCB vis-à-vis the joint findings of CPCB-NEERI, MPPCB report in August 2025 concluded that the levels were still higher than the permissible limits. As a result, the residual ash, which is claimed to have been generated to the staggering quantity of 900 MT was revealed to be highly toxic in nature.

The residual ash is to be contained in a landfill cell, by covering the ash with a two-layer membrane and then burying the same in the containment facility. The landfill cell, as proposed, is in proximity of villages of Tarpura, Chirakhan and Bajrangpura, where roughly around 15,000 people reside. Additionally, the site is also close to the industrial area where significant number of wage workers are engaged.

Taking stringent view of the discrepancies and presence of heavy metals, the HC while examining the issue of location of containment facility, expressed anguish over the present underground facility and gave voice to the concerns regarding accidental leakage of residue. In a strongly worded order on 8 October 2025, the HC remarked that in times when the state has been unable to provide reliable roads and bridges, “reposing unflinching faith in the engineering prowess of the state maybe an invitation to disaster.”

The HC disapproved the containment site as proposed by the state, holding that the containment site is in proximity to human habitation. The HC has directed the state authorities to submit a report citing alternate sites for containment.