Higher levels of heavy metals in areas around the Bhopal gas tragedy site: Government report

Subject: Environment

Section: Pollution

Context:

Nearly four decades after the Bhopal gas tragedy, a report submitted to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) by the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) reveals heightened levels of heavy metals in groundwater near the defunct Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) plant in Bhopal.

Details:

Key findings from the CGWA‘s report include minimal zinc contamination, with only one location surpassing the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) acceptable limit, while arsenic levels were generally within safe limits, barring one exception. Manganese pollution was noted in 8.33% of the sampled locations, particularly in deeper aquifers.
The report also identified strontium concentrations, unregulated by BIS, within a significant range across sampled sites.
Critics argue that the CGWA study inadequately addresses the full scope of contamination, neglecting pesticides, organochlorines, and other persistent organic pollutants previously detected in groundwater studies.
Historical and ongoing research underscores the gravity of groundwater contamination outside the UCIL factory area, linking it to potential cancer risks and other health issues.
The persistence of toxic waste on-site raises concerns over further contamination spread, as highlighted in a 2018 affidavit by an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Madras professor to the Supreme Court, noting the presence of toxic chemicals known to cause significant health damage.

Bhopal Gas Leak:

The Bhopal Gas Tragedy, also known as the Bhopal disaster, occurred on December 3, 1984, when methyl isocyanate gas leaked from a pesticide plant owned by Union Carbide India Limited in Bhopal, India.
It is considered one of the world’s worst industrial disasters.

Source: TH