We have to stop this from happening again.

BHOPAL’ – BEYOND THE APPEARENCE

Would a child born in Delhi or any other part of the country be the same as a child born in Bhopal post1984? The answer is obvious, NO. He/she will face troubles socially, physically, mentally and psychologically. Thus it becomes important for us to look at the ’84 tragedy beyond the gas leak and the number of deaths.

In the wake of thousands of people marching from Bhopal to Delhi in protest, it is time for us to take another look at the issue. It raises questions about the government’s accountability to its people, transparency in government contracts, the social and psychological impacts of the leak on millions of people, at the national level. And the indifference shown by MultiNational Corporations (MNCs) towards the third world countries, the flaws in the environmental laws, and the unquestioned role of developed nations in environment degradation and so on at the international level.

I have tried to address a few of these questions in this write-up. As long as we see the Bhopal tragedy as an aberration, as an incident we lose out the larger picture of why it happened and what were the conditions leading to it. We will only be looking at that fateful night as ‘the gas leaked, engulfing the entire vicinity because water entered the tank where about 40 cubic meters of Methyl Isocynate(MIC) was stored. When water and MIC mixed an exothermic chemical reaction started, producing a lot of heat. As a result safety valve of the tank burst because of the increase in pressure.’ But the people of Bhopal are yet to get answers as to why the Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) set up an outdated plant in Bhopal when they had already developed an advanced computerized safety system for their West Virginia plant in the US. The refrigeration system was faulty; the valve lines and vent lines in the Bhopal plant were old and worn out. Parts that should have been replaced had not been changed for more than two years.

A similar plant to be set up in the US, for example, would require a lot of formalities and approvals, the company would have to abide by certain laws, safety etc. This is clear indication that in this globalizing world the third world is considered to be a dumping ground for all hazardous industries and toxic manufacturing: a place where MNCs/TNCs can get around with the laws and the political establishment.Since we do not see the world getting any less globalising and since people are out there to create more demand/profits, we can conclude that there are many more ‘Bhopals’ in our backyard.

In India, however, the union and state governments had no knowledge about the hazardous nature of MIC (or there were vested interests) and thus UCC was allowed to store large quantities of lethal chemicals where as the west Virginia plant did not store huge quantities of MIC. At the time of the leak, more than 30000 gallons of MIC had been stored. In contrast, the storage capacity in the West Virginia plant was no more than 5000 gallons. Few would disagree if we blame the callous nature of the government for the disaster and, since we have evidence of the government not having woken up, many more disasters are in the making.Transparency and accountability by the government are the foremost needs of the hour. Also, a lot depends upon the kind of economic decisions the establishments take for the country because that can determine the direction our economy will take. Populist measures of the government should not be encouraged.

In the municipal elections in Bhopal in 2004 there was not even a mention of gas leak by either of the two major political parties. After 20 years, the city has come in to terms with the devastation and so our ‘leaders’ have forgotten about it. This is not the case with Babri Masjid issue, though! On the other hand, the media in our country has also not lived up to the expectations. An American journalist, speaking about the Bhopal disaster, once said “had it been in the US, the media would have spoken about it for months together, mobilizing the people and forcing the government to act.” Despite what the media has done to bring Bhopal to the fore and keep it in focus, I think it should have done more. Two to three days around the second or third of December the media is reminded of Bhopal and there are series of reports on the victims of industrial hazards. But, what about the rest of the year? That the public memory is short, could be a good excuse. Unless the media is persistent, the government will not be on its feet. After all this is the job of the media, apart from, of course, expanding the existing multi-crore media industry. There should be regular reporting and exposes on companies/ factories that violate laws. The regional media should take on more responsibility in this respect.

In a democracy, the role of pressure groups becomes necessary to keep the government alert. Though many groups were founded after the disaster, a hand full of them has been effective. Most Non Government Organizations (NGOs) which get funds from outside the country have their own reservations about raising voices against MNCs. If they do so, raising resources becomes a problem for these organizations. Sub division and fragmentation can also be problems they face. In case a few organizations manage to make inroads or succeed, the government or other powerful groups snub them. Therefore it would not be wrong to say that if we were to see more ‘Bhopals’ tomorrow then media and the (relatively toothless) pressure groups will also have to share some of the responsibility. The magnitude of suffering of the Bhopal victims has alerted us, possibly for the first time in our history to the dangers of chemical pollution.

Yet, if another Bhopal were to happen today we may not respond any differently in spite of considerable information that we have gathered since then. In 2004 alone, there was an explosion in Shar complex of Sriharikota which killed 36 people; a toxic gas leak in a transport company in Delhi; in Eloor a fire at an endosulfan plant broke out; a leak in a chlorine plant near Mettur Dam near Tamil Nadu; a scrap factory exploded in Shahidabad,Uttar Pradesh killing 10. There are ticking bombs in various parts of India: Gujrat’s Valsad-Vapi region is considered to have disastrous environmental impact, the chemical industrial estates in Cuddolore which are regarded as the ‘smelliest parts of Tamil Nadu’, Jharkand’s Roro hills where asbestos wastes are left in the abandoned mines. Thus we urgently need a matrix of environmental governance laws which can internalize environmental considerations in the development strategy, which can provide a responsive legal system, also get industry to seek cleaner and well tested technologies and adopt best practices and also have well knit networks that ensure efficient dissemination of information right down to the last person. The MNCs and TNCs set up industries in the developing countries because of easy accessibility to cheap labour, relatively inefficient implementation of laws and set up costs are low.

Also, if you look beyond what is apparent, you find that there is a vested interest of the developed world to allow a certain amount of development in the third world. If poor countries do not show any signs of development, it will be difficult for the first world to dump its products in our markets. This is their policy of ‘expansion of markets’ and ‘world markets’. Thus if they set up industries they are ensured both short term and long term benefits. As long as it suits them they will set up industries and will show negligent conduct. They will be hence responsible for many more industrial hazards.

Ecological degradation is not a result of just development but a certain kind of development and it is no secret that ecological degradation will have adverse effects on human life. Modern day market dynamics compel us to use heavy technology, advanced machinery. The more man depends on mechanization the more he antagonizes nature. When Bhopal happened the impacts were instant. Millions of people killed, many more injured, 20 years later situation remains unchanged and so on. But, industries (both indigenous and foreign) are also killing people on an every day basis. The dumping of atomic and industrial waste on the coasts of Maharastra ,Gujrat and Orissa; tones of industrial waste being channalised into our rivers, which are our lifelines; ever increasing pollution of air; soil, which is the source of nutrients to our trees, being polluted and global warming. surely, this is slow poison but it has as disastrous effects as the gas leak in Bhopal. Such exploitation should not be tolerated. A few experts say an international law on environment will do a lot of damage control, while there are skeptics who say that the developed countries will find there way around as well. One of the other serious concerns of many is/ was the compensation for the Bhopal victims. Cot between UCC and the Indian government, are the victims who were hoping for rehabilitation twenty years later had to settle with meager compensation. This is blatant injustice. The victims should be rehabilitated and given suitable work that ensures stable income along with monetary compensation. Of the 800000 people living in Bhopal 2000 died immediately, during the gas leak, and 30000injured. 1000 animals killed and 7000 injured. The survivors are suffering from partial or complete blindness, gastrointestinal disorders, weak immune systems, post traumatic stress disorders and menstrual problem in women. A rise in spontaneous abortions, stillbirths and off spring with genetic defects was also noted.

One must remember that our country is not short of resources. Good governance and efficient implementation of rules and laws are lacking. It is very important for us to strengthen our democratic institutions. We can surely prevent another ‘Hiroshima of chemical industry’ from occurring. Calling all responsible institutions in the country and abroad.
Anyone listening?

Raksha Kumar