The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Tuesday permitted the state government to conduct a trial run for the disposal of 40-year-old chemical waste from Bhopal’s defunct Union Carbide factory in Pithampur, reported PTI.

The incineration trials are set to take place in three phases from February 27, the news agency quoted Advocate General Prashant Singh as saying.

The state government also submitted a compliance report to the court on steps it has taken to increase public awareness about the waste disposal process, Singh said. The court had sought the report in January.

In December 1984, methyl isocyanate and other toxic gases leaked from the pesticide plant of Union Carbide India Limited in Bhopal.

Over five lakh persons were exposed to the toxic gases and at least 4,000 were killed as a result in the ensuing days.

Government data suggests that there have been 15,000 deaths as a result of the disaster over the years.

On January 2, about 337 tons of hazardous waste from the Union Carbide factory were delivered to the Pithampur industrial area in Dhar district, where it is awaiting disposal. The waste was transported in 12 leak-proof and fire-resistant containers.

The arrival of the waste in Pithampur was with met with outrage by residents and activists. On January 3, two men sustained injuries after they immolated themselves in protest.

On January 6, the court gave the state government six weeks to dispose of the waste in accordance with safety protocols, The Times of India reported. It also asked the state government to take into account the concerns expressed in petitions challenging the disposal in Pithampur.

The petitioners said that a trial run for the incineration of the waste was carried out in the area in 2015 and argued that the recently transported waste should not be allowed to be incinerated based on the results of a preliminary test done over eight years ago.

The petitioners demanded that a trial run be conducted again to ease public apprehension.

Following this, the state government conducted an awareness campaign and requested the approval of the court to proceed with the exercise, reported PTI.

On Tuesday, Singh said that the court allowed the trial to be conducted in three phases, with 10 tons of waste disposed of in each phase.

In the first phase, the disposal rate will be 135 kg per hour, which will be gradually increased to 180 kg per hour in the second phase and 270 kg per hour in the third phase, he added.

As per the court’s directions, the first trial run will be conducted on February 27. A second one will be done on March 4 and the third on an unspecified date, the advocate general said.

The results of the trial runs will be submitted to the Central Pollution Control Board, which will then determine an appropriate methodology for disposing of the remaining waste, he added.

The state government will also submit a compliance report to the court on March 27, Singh said.

Also read: Why a town in MP is resisting the plan to treat toxic waste from Bhopal’s Union Carbide plant