Secret dumping of Bhopal toxic waste 'wrong' Skip to main content

Secret dumping of Bhopal toxic waste 'wrong'

The abandoned Union Carbide factory in Bhopal (file image) Hundreds of tonnes of toxic waste are still at the Union Carbide plant
Indian Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has said the secret dumping by the government of toxic waste from the Bhopal chemical disaster was wrong.

People living near an incinerator where 40 tonnes of waste were taken two years ago, say it damaged their health.
Visiting the plant, Mr Ramesh promised transparency in the disposal of more than 300 tonnes of remaining waste.
More than 4,000 people died after the toxic gas leak from the Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal in 1984.
It is considered the world's worst industrial accident.
Mr Ramesh, who was not environment minister at the time of the secret night-time dumping in Pithampur, said the continuing clean-up had to be done openly.
"I admit as minister that it was wrong to have brought those 40 tonnes of waste to Pithampur," he said.
"Whatever we do needs to be done with adequate transparency. I am ready to admit publicly that transporting that waste from the Union Carbide factory secretly during the night hours was wrong."
The incinerator is about 230 km (140 miles) from Bhopal.
Outrage Angry villagers who live near the incinerator blocked a road and shouted slogans when Mr Ramesh arrived at the plant on Saturday, the Times of India reported. They want the facility shut down.
A year after poisonous gas from the Union Carbide plant poured into Bhopal's slums, local officials collected 350 tonnes of waste and left it in the factory yard. Most of it is still there.
There has been outrage over last month's court verdicts into who was responsible for the tragedy and also the amount of compensation offered to victims.
Seven former managers at the plant were given two-year jail sentences, but campaigners say senior figures at the US-based Union Carbide parent group should also be held responsible.
Last month, campaigners denounced a $280m (£186m) compensation package announced by the government for victims of the disaster.
The package was the latest in a series of pay-offs made by authorities to victims of the disaster.

BBC
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sri Bhaddanta Chandramani Mahathera

The Life Story of A Distinguished And Outstanding Bhikkhu The Most Venerable Saradawpharagree Sri Bhaddanta Chandramani Mahathera The Buddhist missionary Saradaw Ashin U Chandramani was endowed with great gifts and led a famous and long life. He was a very well known, distinguished and outstanding Bhikkhu Mahathera. While living in the Kushinagar Monastery, a place close to where the Lord Buddha had passed away to Nirvana, the Government of India had offered, and he had accepted, the highest, most honourable and respected title "Guru Guru MahaGuru". He became the first ever President of all Buddhists in India.A World Buddhist Conference took place in Kathmandu during the reign of King Mahindra of Nepal. The Conference was very well attended by over one hundred thousand Buddhists from various parts of the world and it was opened by King Mahindra himself. As requested by the King, Saradawpharagree blessed all the participants with the power of Triple Gems...
Post a Comment
Read more

Thai penis whitening trend raises eyebrows

Image copyright LELUXHOSPITAL Image caption Authorities warn the procedure could be quite painful A supposed trend of penis whitening has captivated Thailand in recent days and left it asking if the country's beauty industry is taking things too far. Skin whitening is nothing new in many Asian countries, where darker skin is often associated with outdoor labour, therefore, being poorer. But even so, when a clip of a clinic's latest intriguing procedure was posted online, it quickly went viral. Thailand's health ministry has since issued a warning over the procedure. The BBC Thai service spoke to one patient who had undergone the treatment, who told them: "I wanted to feel more confident in my swimming briefs". The 30-year-old said his first session of several was two months ago, and he had since seen a definite change in the shade. 'What for?' The original Facebook post from the clinic offering the treatment, which uses lasers to break do...
1 comment
Read more

Three Dead, Seven Injured by Artillery Shells in Two Incidents in Myanmar’s Mrauk-U

By MIN AUNG KHINE 2 December 2019 Sittwe, Rakhine State –Three Mrauk-U township residents died and four others were injured when an artillery shell struck their community in the Ale Zay quarter of Mrauk-U town on Monday afternoon after 4 p.m. A month-old girl, a 4-year-old boy and a 30-year-old woman died, according to Dr. Khin Maung Yin, the head of Mrauk-U hospital. He said, “A man and three other women were injured. One of the women sustained severe injures to her left leg and her right knee was dislocated. The injured will be operated on.” Details of what occurred were not yet known. A few hours earlier, three civilians were injured when an artillery shell fell on the village of Na Leik in Mrauk-U Township, Rakhine State, western Myanmar, on Monday at around 1 p.m., according to Yan Aung Pyin village-tract administrator U Sein Hla Aung. Two females, aged 13 and 27, and an 18-year-old male were injured in the incident, he said. Three people were hit by shrapnel and we have...
Post a Comment
Read more