Ghastly disaster still plagues Bhopal

LOS ANGELES: Last week, in a panel discussion brought to UCLA by the LA chapter of the Association for India's Development or AID-India, 2nd generation victims and members of the International Justice for Campaign in Bhopal spoke about the tragedy and on-going injustice in Bhopal.

Panelists included Sarita Malviya, a 16 year old resident of a water-contaminated community near the Union Carbide factory, together with Rachna Dhingra and Shana Ortman, activists working for International Campaign for Justice on Bhopal (ICJB).

The visit to Los Angeles was part of the long tour through United States on the 25th anniversary of Bhopal tragedy, to raise awareness about the ongoing human suffering in this central Indian city. Prof. Vinay Lal, Professor of history at UCLA, was also among the panelists.

Introducing the topic, Prof. Lal presented the context and the background of Bhopal and the tragedy.

Sarita, a student of 9th grade and also a founding member of the organization called Children against Dow-Carbide, described the personal experiences of her family and the community adversely affected by the pollution, and the struggle for social and environmental justice.

She described the touching story of participation of children in the long 850 km walk from Bhopal to Delhi in 2006, and again in 2008, to demand justice from Prime Minister of India. The description was in Hindi, and translated for the wider audience in English by Rachna.

Rachna Dhingra who moved to Bhopal to work with the ICJB upon graduating from business school in University of Michigan, described the events of the tragedy and its aftermath. She cited specific examples to highlight the lack of corporate responsibility and legally questionable actions of Union Carbide, now owned by Dow Chemicals, whose effects are being suffered by several generations.

"What's important about the second generation is that a lot of people don't realize that the groundwater contamination is continuing to spread, that children of survivors of the disaster are being born with birth defects and health problems related to gas exposure and water contamination," Shana Ortman, North American coordinator, International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal (ICJB), said.

The tour includes meeting members of Congress in Washington, D.C., and attending the annual general meeting of Dow in Midland, Mich.

Human memory is short. Whilst the western world continues to focus on and debate the Chernobyl disaster nobody is ready to talk about Bhopal, for obvious reasons. The lives of poor "native" slum dwellers in a third world country   are not as important as the lives of those in the Western hemisphere.

A classical example is the Holocaust, over six million European Jews perished in death camps in Germany and Eastern Europe. The debate and the retribution continues with Israel lynching old men who were then mere boys standing as humble sentries at the gates of those who engineered the genocide. Nobody talks about the Armenian genocide or the millions of Chinese who perished in the Second World War. Over ten million perished in the partition in India.

Also forgotten are those who perished in Nigeria during the Biafra war and those who died during the Bangla Desh independence. Then there is Rwanda, the Balkans, Sri Lanka…..the list is endless. But these are a lesser people or so the world media wants to believe. That is why the CEOs of Union Carbide live in total immunity in the West safe from the Indian legal system.

The Indian political system is equally to blame for not having gone after those responsible for this disaster.

On December 3, 1984, the world's largest industrial disaster occurred in Bhopal, India, where over 40 tons of poisonous gas (Methyl Isocyanides, MIC) was released throughout the city.

This tragedy claimed the lives of over 25,000 people, but that number is constantly rising, as 10-15 people still die each month from lingering toxins in the body.

The leak occurred at a hazardous pesticide plant in a poverty stricken section of Bhopal. At the time, the factory was owned by a malicious corporation by the name of Union Carbide (UC). The company can be held completely responsible for the incident, as it consciously allowed the plant to operate without proper safety precautions and procedure. In an effort to save what amounted to $30 a day, Union Carbide employees were instructed to shut off safety machinery and allow the plant to run without provision.

Months prior to the nasty incident, scientists issued numerous reports about the danger the plant imposed on the neighborhood. American inspectors noted 61 system defects; UC made no changes or improvements on the faulty equipment. Despite many warnings, they continued to run an unsafe and deadly operation, putting thousands of people at risk for highly toxic poisoning.

On the night of the leak, factory employees had shut off a particular unit needed to regulate the MIC gas tank. Due to other poor systems and unrepaired equipment, a large amount of water entered the MIC tank.

High levels of pressure built up inside, causing the release of a large volume of toxic gases. As the gas spread throughout the city, people experienced hemorrhages, suffocating, burning in the eyes and throat, stomach pains/vomiting, and many other disturbing symptoms. Within 72 hours of the leak, nearly 8,000 people had died, and over 570,000 people were exposed in all.

Rather than taking responsibility for the leak, Union Carbide blamed the catastrophe on an angry worker who supposedly "sabotaged" the plant. This was clearly untrue, as the facts of their negligent behavior were evident. In a class action law suit, the Government of India settled with Union Carbide for $470 million.

Once divided among the victims, this came out to a petty $500 return for people who would suffer a lifetime of health problems. This goes to say little about the Indian Government, who allowed the tragedy to end in injustice.

Last week, in a panel discussion brought to UCLA by the LA chapter of the Association for India's Development or AID-India, 2nd generation victims and members of the International Justice for Campaign in Bhopal spoke about the tragedy and on-going injustice in Bhopal.
Thousands of people continue to drink contaminated water and experience long term health effects.

In 2001, Dow chemical company took over Union Carbide, and denied responsibility for Carbide's Bhopal liabilities. Dow also refuses to return to Bhopal to clean up toxic wastes that were left behind from the disaster.

It is time we stand up for the justice of our people and make a movement against Dow chemical company. They are to be held accountable for the actions of their predecessor, and every effort should be made to boycott this heartless company.

To the universities, do not accept their donations; to the people, do not accept their job offers; to the consumers, do not support their products.

To the corrupt rich CEOs, who evade the charges of the deaths of thousands of innocent people, may you feel wrath of the God and understand that no evil deed goes unpunished.