Bhopal Gas Tragedy: 30 Years On, Bhopal’s Toxic Legacy Lives On

It was hell let loose on Bhopal on the chilly and tragic night of 3 December 1984.

Around 1 a.m. the commotion began. Men, women and children, old and young, all cried “Gas nikal padi! [Gas has leaked!]”. Baffled and desperate to save their lives they ran wherever their legs could carry them.  Husbands left wives, children left elderly parents behind, to die of suffocation. Frantic fight for survival gnawed away all blood relations.

“It was a tragedy of unmatched proportions. The nation was caught unawares,” says Nazish Ahtesham, one of the survivors of the calamitous event.

30 years on, one wonders how the State and Central government have dealt with the aftermath. The problem was twofold. To provide compensation to the affected and specialised medical treatment on a long term basis to the survivors of the disaster. “The government has miserable failed on both fronts,” says Ahtesham Qureshy, who worked as a journalist in Bhopal when the catastrophe was unleashed on the city.

The procedure to file claim for compensation is slack and fraught with the usual red tape.

Despite the apex court coming down heavily on the government and other agencies involved in providing relief to Bhopal gas leak victims, the authorities have done next to nothing.

The groundwater and soil around the factory remain contaminated, the toxic waste is yet to be incinerated and victims of the tragedy continue to fight for compensation and proper health facilities.

On the fateful night of December 1984, around 40 metric tonnes of toxic Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) gas ‘accidentally’ got leaked from the pesticide factory owned by U.S multinational Union Carbide Corporation.

Streets turned into mass graves as people began collapsing everywhere-on roads, pavements and drains. Those who survived the fateful night suffered severe disabilities and pain. “To this date, children born in victims’ families often have twisted limbs or slashed lips. Disabilities continue even in the third generation children,” says Qureshy.

As the day dawned, the scene at hospitals was nerve-wracking. Hundreds of dead bodies scattered all over the place. Mortuaries crammed with the dead. Foul stench loomed all over the place. “Police trucks and private vehicles continued to dump bodies lifted from the colonies near the Union Carbide plant in old Bhopal,” explains Qureshy.

It was a mammoth task to bury the dead. Even greater concern was to provide medical aid to those who survived. The doctors were clueless as to what kind of medicine to administer to the victims. “Largely, anti-allergic tablets were given to keep a check on acute breathlessness. They soon ran out of stocks” explains Qureshy, who extensively reported on the issue for over a year.

Over 2000 people died within a few hours and the numbers continued to escalate long after that night, because of deep injuries to the pulmonary system by inhaling the toxic gas. According to data collected by various NGOs, the death toll stands at over 25,000 while the official figures are below 6,000.

The dance of death is still on.

Till date, countless victims continue to succumb to cancer, blindness, respiratory and neurological disorders due to the exposure to deadly MIC gas. The victims are not just the ones who survived the tragic night, but also those who are being affected by the undisposed toxic chemicals that is lying in the factory.

According to a 2013 report by the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, most of the water samples from outside the UCIL premises and all the samples from the five borewells in the UCIL showed toxic lead levels that were above permissible limits for drinking water.

For years, residents in these colonies consumed groundwater, even for drinking. It was only a year ago that hand pumps were stopped. According to a news report, residents still use the red-coloured water coming from tube wells, when there is a water shortage.

Even today, the issue of the disposal of 350 tonnes of toxic chemicals is no closer to resolution than it was in 2005. According to experts from Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), there are 17 settlements near the factory whose residents are exposed to serious health hazards.

So far, the authorities have compensated for 5,295 deaths, Deputy Secretary of Madhya Pradesh Department of Gas Relief and Rehabilitation, K.K Dubey told a news agency. These victims have been given a pittance of 35,000 rupees (£359.95) as compensation.

On the medical front, a specialised hospital was set up in Bhopal, general complaint is that medical relief is too inadequate.

In 1989, Union Carbide paid $470 million (£299.63) to the government as a settlement on Supreme Court’s order. However, Anderson never appeared for any trial and was declared an absconder. “The government later enacted a drama to befool the people that they would seek his extradition from the US. It never happened and the man has died” adds Qureshy.

“Due to the protection offered by the U.S government and deliberate negligence of Indian government in bringing Anderson to justice, the world’s worst corporate criminal has died unpunished,” says a joint press release issued by organisations working for the welfare of the victims of the 1984 tragedy.

While the country has implemented several industrial and insurance laws to compensate damages caused to an individual worker, there are no laws to evaluate damages caused to the community and environment and to establish clear liability for those damages.

By 1989, India got the Hazardous Waste (Management and Handling) Rules for management, storage and import of hazardous chemicals. In 1987, the Factories Act, 1948 was amended. It introduced systems for the safety of workers and nearby residents. In 1991, the Public Liability Insurance Act was introduced to provide for immediate relief to people affected by accidents while handling hazardous substances. An environment relief fund was also created under the act, to compensate affected people.

Despite these legislation in place, in 2011, over 1,000 people lost their lives in factory accidents, according to the latest data published by the Ministry of Labour and Employment.  Last year, there were as many as eight industrial incidents that were reported within ten months, where workers were either dead or injured.

On November 29, 2014, a chlorine gas leaked from a plant situated 25 miles from Bhopal, sickening 44 people, according to media reports. The incident triggered widespread panic in Mandideep area where the factory is located.

As the nation struggles to wipe off the blot of the tragedy that struck three decades ago, one wonders what have we learnt from the calamity that has become indelible in nation’s history. Can we stop another Bhopal?