- Wednesday, January 22, 2025
To dispel any fear, the district administration visited the area near Pithampur town, and water samples from the borewell and nearby drain have been collected
By: India Weekly
AMID apprehensions by locals over the proposed disposal of 337 tonnes of Union Carbide waste in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district, a video purportedly showing a borewell discharging “black” water surfaced on social media.
To dispel any fear, the district administration visited the area near Pithampur town, about 30 km from Indore, where the waste has been brought for disposal, an official said on Wednesday.
Ajay Kumar Mishra, an official of the MP Pollution Control Board, said when they checked the borewell located in an agricultural field in Sagor, adjoining Pithampur, it discharged clean water.
However, water samples from the borewell and nearby drain have been collected, he said.
Mishra said he would be able to comment on the other parameters of water quality only after receiving the laboratory test results.
Ankit Khotan, who owns the borewell, said officials have collected water samples.
The farmer said his borewell was discharging “black” water when he operated the motor after a gap of 2-3 days, claiming that the water was damaging his crop and was not consumable.
However, the borewell discharged clean water in front of the government officials, he said.
Awareness drive
Meanwhile, the district administration is continuing its awareness campaign among the locals ahead of the proposed disposal of the waste that has been brought from the now-defunct Union Carbide plant in the state capital Bhopal.
The waste triggered protests in Pithampur, an industrial town, after container trucks carrying the material reached a facility, around 250km from the state capital, for incineration on January 2.
On January 6, the Madhya Pradesh High Court directed the state government to take steps within six weeks to dispose of the Union Carbide factory waste by following safety protocols.
On the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984, highly toxic methyl isocyanate gas leaked from the Union Carbide pesticide factory in Bhopal, killing at least 5,479 persons and leaving thousands with serious health problems and long-term disabilities. (PTI)
