Bhopal : On the intervening night of 2-3 December 1984, the then sleepy town of Bhopal became infamous for the worst ever industrial tragedy in the world. The leakage of highly toxic gas methyl isocyanate from the Union Carbide plant claimed the lives of thousands of people (estimates of deaths in the tragedy vary between 20,000 to 2,200 people).
As the 40 year anniversary of the Bhopal gas tragedy approaches, it seems that the nation has seemingly forgotten the world’s worst ever industrial accident.
Over 500,000 people in the area around the plant were exposed to the highly toxic gas methyl isocyanate in the world’s worst industrial disaster. Estimates on the death toll vary with compensation being paid to families of thousands of victims of the disaster for deaths and injuries.
The dilapidated structure of the Union Carbide factory still stands on the infamous disaster site. Tehelka.com revisited the accident site, which lies in ruins, a dilapidated structure, and boundary walls torn down at several places, the compound run over by stray animals and strewn with refuse. The 67 acres of land, being used by locals as a grazing ground, is guarded by a lone watchman.
The government’s long-pending plan to build a memorial on the disaster site where the Union Carbide factory stands is still to see the light of the day.
The government claims that the memorial dedicated to victims of the gas tragedy, expected to cost approximately Rs 380 crore, is set to be built soon.
The plan to dispose of toxic waste
The 67-acre disaster site is still strewn with toxic waste, even 40-years after the tragic night struck Madhya Pradesh’s capital, the memorial is seemingly a distant dream for the victims. The situation was so grim that the newly elected Member of Parliament from Bhopal, Alok Sharma, brought the issue regarding the delay in work to dispose of the waste in the last Lok Sabha session.
Sources stated that the process to dispose of the toxic waste, located on the premises of the disaster struck plant site, has been set in motion with the allocation of Rs 126 crore to Madhya Pradesh government by the Centre for the purpose.
After a wait of almost four decades, Union Environment Ministry has transferred the money to the state government recently for the disposal of the around 337 metric tonnes of hazardous waste, stored in the premises of the Union Carbide plant, at the incinerating facility at Pithampur in Dhar district in Madhya Pradesh.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has also been asked to submit an environment impact report post-disposal of the waste at Pithapuram to the Centre.
How the population is coping
Local population has, however, continued to work towards efforts to heal the decades old wounds. A majority of people directly affected by the chemical disaster have already passed away. The families of victims and several organisations came together to organize a tribute to the victims by inviting artists to the site of tragedy.
A group of artists painted the walls of the Union Carbide plant with murals dedicated to the victims of the tragedy. They painted the 80-ft wall of the factory using acrylic colours and paid tribute to the gas victims. “Local artists have come together to mark the 40th year anniversary of the tragedy. We want to offer our support to the victims and their families who are still dealing with the aftermath,” said Pragati Chaurasia, an artist working on painting these murals.
Family member of a gas tragedy victim, Vinay Choudhary, reiterated the demand for construction of a gas victims’ memorial at the earliest. “Why has there been a delay in such an important work? Do we not want our forthcoming generations to know about the tragic truth?” Choudhary said.
Most of these families also want the government to immediately remove the toxic waste from the disaster site. “Why has the government not been able to dispose of the waste for almost 40 years? Is it waiting for another tragedy to strike?” asked Priti Singh, a local resident.
The residents pointed out that a massive fire broke out at the factory site on May 6 this year and could have caused another major tragedy with the hazardous waste still stored on the premises. “This had triggered panic among locals as there were thousands of people still residing in the vicinity of the abandoned industrial site. Though the fire was brought under control it could have caused another major incident,” claimed Sanjay Kumar, another local resident.
