Far from the edge

• The Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board confirmed the incineration of 337 tonnes of toxic waste from the 1984 Bhopal disaster.

• The process required interventions from the Madhya Pradesh High Court, the Supreme Court of India, and the Union Environment Ministry over a decade.

• The waste was safely disposed of within six months at a cost of ₹126 crore.

• The incineration yielded over 800 tonnes of ash and residue, which will need to be landfilled scientifically.

• The new facility will require regular upkeep, monitoring, and funds.

• The site of the Union Carbide plant also retains several tonnes of contaminated soil and other hazardous artefacts.

• Survivors’ groups have filed petitions arguing that deaths and injuries are undercounted and they are owed inflation-adjusted damages.

• The Dow Chemical Company, despite being a proclaimed offender, remains in dispute over the valuation of losses.

• The State and Centre must close pending settlement claims and attend to the survivors’ wellbeing, with the assistance of a new statutory body to unify health, relief, and remediation goals.