Several locations close to the now defunct Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) plant in Bhopal have reported higher concentrations of different heavy metals in groundwater, 39 years after the Bhopal gas tragedy, according to report submitted to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) by the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA).
The CGWA conducted the testing of the groundwater after the NGT took cognisance of an article by The Hindu in December 2023 that hundreds of tonnes of toxic waste was dumped by the UCIL within their factory premises from 1969 to 1984, but despite court orders and warnings, it has not yet been cleared by authorities. Stating that the new report raises “substantial issue” relating to compliance of the environmental laws, the NGT had issued notices to the CGWA, the Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh, the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board, and the Central Pollution Control Board.
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