Bhopal toxic waste to be airlifted to Germany

Toxic waste in Bhopal, India, could be airlifted to Germany for treatment and safe disposal, according to recent media reports.

GIZ International Services has expressed its willingness to take the polluted waste to its incineration facility in Hamburg for treatment and disposal. The offer was made in February under the Indo-German Technical Cooperation, and the minister for rural development has forwarded a copy of the offer to home minister P Chidambaram, who heads the GoM on Bhopal on April 19th.

Ministers in India have urged the home minister to accept the offer, rather than send the waste to Pithampur, Indore. Residents in the area are strongly opposed to burning waste in the industrial area, and most ministers would rather pay for the transportation and effective treatment of the waste elsewhere.

The news comes on the back of the Union government’s decision to dispose of 350 metric tonnes of toxic waste accumulated at the now- defunct Carbide plant.

Posted by Claire Manning