People in Pithampur are protesting against the disposal of waste from the Bhopal gas leak in their town.
Vegetable vendor Shivnarayan Dasana had never seen so many policemen descend on his village in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The 60-year-old lives in Tarapurin the industrial town of Pithampur, known for its automobile and pharmaceutical factories. The town has been tense since containers holding 337 tonnes of toxic waste from the site of one of the world's worst industrial disasters arrived for disposal three weeks ago. The waste, transported from the now-defunct Union Carbide factory in the city of Bhopal - site of the 1984 gas tragedy that killed thousands - has sparked fears among locals. They worry that disposing of it near their homes could be harmful and even cause an environmental disaster. Protests erupted on 3 January, a day after the waste arrived in the town, escalating into stone-throwing and attempted self-immolations. Since then, heavy police patrols near the disposal facility have turned Tarapur and surrounding areasinto a virtual garrison. The police have registered seven cases against 100 people since the protests began, but the townspeople continue to raise concerns about industrial pollution at smaller community meetings. The toxic waste cleared from the Bhopal factory included five types of hazardous materials - including pesticide residue and "forever chemicals" left from its manufacturing process. These chemicals are so-named because they retain their toxic properties indefinitely. Over the decades, these chemicals have seeped into the surrounding environment, creating a health hazard for people living around the factory in Bhopal. But officials dismiss fears of the waste disposal causing environmental issues in Pithampur.
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