Bhopal News: Public Hazard; People Using Union Carbide India Limited Solar Evaporation Ponds

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The solar evaporation ponds (SEPs) located adjacent to Union Carbide Corporation plant in Bhopal have not been closed so far.

Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) Bhopal plant closed after 1984 gas disaster and never resumed operations though the site's toxic waste remained in solar evaporation ponds.

The UCIL has three SEPs, which were constructed in 1977 to store hazardous chemical wastes and byproducts.

The clean-up work of the ponds and the subsequent construction of a landfill to contain the wastes began in the years immediately before the sale of UCC's stock in 1994.

The clean-up was conducted under the supervision of Indian authorities including the Central Bureau of Investigation and Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board besides the courts.

“There is proper protocol of mining site closure for safety purpose. But in case of UCC plant, no plan has been executed for closure of SEPs in last 40 years. People use SEPs as normal ponds, which is hazardous,” Sudhir Paliwal, environmental engineer, said.

Swatantra Kumar Singh, director of Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Department, told Free Press, “We do not have any plan to close SEPs. It is true that we are custodian of UCC property. But case is still pending in High Court. Once the case gets disposed of, state government will chalk out strategy for land use.”