The Supreme Court order directing time-bound provision of safe drinking water to 18 long-suffering residential areas around the Bhopal gas tragedy site highlights two things — the slow pace at which even the highest judicial intervention produces results in India, and the persisting pollution threat to the health of thousands. In fact, the same court had directed that protected water be supplied to 14 localities around the Union Carbide plant in May 2004 (four more were added subsequently). The Centre claimed that a series of measures were taken by the Madhya Pradesh government to comply with the order, but not much relief has been available to the residents. The Municipal Corporation of Bhopal is yet to provide tap connections to households. Moreover, the water supplied is yellowish, with a heavy flat taste even today, involving consequences for health. Sadly, as governments have come to regard this 27-year-old industrial catastrophe as just another chronic problem, the residents have to bear the terrible consequences of this continuing denial of their right to a healthy life. It is welcome, therefore, that the Supreme Court has finally set a three-month deadline for water supply and appointed a fresh monitoring committee. The M.P. government must not prolong the misery of the victims and do everything to fulfil their needs.
The safe supply of water to the densely populated areas hit by the gas tragedy is essential to eliminate the public health threat. But there is also the question of disposing of some 350 tonnes of hazardous waste lying in the abandoned Union Carbide India factory premises. Here again, neither the Centre nor the M.P. government appear anxious to conduct a speedy operation. This, in spite of a new option available to avoid Indian disposal sites, and hand it over to a German firm that can move the hazardous material to Hamburg. It must also be emphasised that, while the responsibility of the Centre and the M.P. governments to remediate Bhopal is paramount, it does not mitigate the claim on Dow Chemicals for its liability towards Union Carbide's failures. Faced with global ridicule for its attempts at greenwashing through a ten-year Olympics sponsorship, Dow has disingenuously described its critics as “irresponsible.” If anything, it was its own decision to acquire the assets of a disaster-hit Union Carbide and disclaim any liability for the tragedy that calls for severe reproach. The proper course would have been to own up, to engage in a comprehensive clean-up and rehabilitation exercise, and to compensate victims in full. The immediate task, however, is to alleviate the physical misery of the victims by providing them a clean environment and good water.
I personally agree with the remark of Mr.Vivek dated 11th May. It is really sad on the
part of our politicians who call themselves law maker, do not bother for the basic
need of the public i.e. safe and pure drinking water . There is so much of rural
population who drinks polluted water. Our major river systems are mostly polluted
due to the disposal of sewerage ,toxic elements and dead bodies of animals and as
well as of human beings . Awareness program should be carried out at the village
level and govt. should impose heavy penalty on the industries who pollute our water
resources along with on the public also who ever is caught polluting our resources as
being done in some of the western countries, where you can drink water from the
public taps also .
Sadly and truly, our leaders are busy leading a section of nation which is not poor, not middle class and not well connected with these leaders.
There is similar, substantial contamination of ground water due to effluents from R&D and academic labs. Proper procedures or facilities for disposal of waste chemicals are NON-EXISTENT. Toxic or otherwise hazardous chemicals are quite commonly washed down the drains, where they contaminate the soil or end up in the municipal drains, and find their way to water sources. International norms do not allow ANY chemical, ANYWHERE to be handled so thoughtlessly. "Scientists" in our country are mostly not even aware of procedures for safe disposal of chemicals. Even the leak of radioactive material from a Delhi University lab did not arouse awareness.
Further, owing to the general lack of safety awareness, millions of students (in schools, colleges, universities, etc), as well as scientific and non-scientific employees, and even visitors, are daily getting exposed to unnecessary and avoidable hazards. Will someone with power and resources to set matters right please heed my comments?
The only way we could get Dow to pay is to have the company iced out of India, not allow them to trade, set up factories/reserach units or hire from Indian universities until they clean up the toxic site. Considering the size of the Indian market that would be a real blow and would provide the impetus for Dow to act fast. I hate that the government sits by and does nothing, neither do they clean up themselves prioritising the needs of it's people nor does it apply any significant pressure on Dow. What did the Indian govt really do when Dow annouced it's partnership with the Olympics? All the pressure is from independant activist groups or the UK parliament. It's frustrating especially when the solution is obvious and well within out grasp!
it is very sad that the governments have been playing politics
over this tragedy for 27 years. Right now the government is
raising voice over the less important issue of the involvement
of the Dow Chemicals in the tragedy and is opposing its involvement
in London Olympics while the major issues like providing safe
drinking water to the localities and the removal of the hazardous
wastes are still lying unattended.
Indeed, the apathy with which human life is treated is incredible. While it is true
that human life in India was not valued much by our colonial masters, we have
perpetuated their legacy by treating the lives of ordinary people with sheer
contempt. That our rulers can get away with such snobbery and that we still
kowtow to them in reverence instead of booting them out testifies to our own
inferiority complex.
The Supreme Court cannot fix the problems of India. If our politicians are blinded
by greed, then we need to show them the door, again and again and again. We
aren't doing that and that's why our democracy is not functioning.
A nice article to bring this forth to the public. We might have some
vague numbers of how many people died in the Bhopal gas tragedy, but
unfortunately we don't have the number of sufferers who are affected
and many died because of the filthy water still consumed by the
residents. Still the mentality is to wait and watch more to suffer due
to this cause. The Central Govt. must be leisurely drinking high class
mineral water; hence WHO CARES? Thank God, at lest the 'air (oxygen)'
is free to inhale and there is no control by the Indian Govt. on it !!!
it is making no sense to us while country played politics on Bhopal gas
tragedy with uprising voice on trial on Dow Chemicals and concerns of
its involvement in London Olympics but at the very essential level
failed to dispose the chemical waste lying there for almost three
decades.
The first thing that our government both at center and state need to
realize is that the sufferers in this tragedy are all but Indians. If
we wait till the courts and public pressure make Dow chemicals own up
the responsibility the agony will entrench further and deeper. Its very
sad to discover that the negligence of our caretakers have made the
Bhopal bogey a hereditary characteristic that our infant are born with.
its high time all steps to be taken up to ensure health security to the
victims by our government. We can fight a legal case with Dow but
considering the incredibly slow pace of judicial systems we can't wait
till the fat lady sings.
We have buckled under US pressure and caved in by not only letting Dow
Chemicals off the hook but also gave them a further gift -another
project in PUne. Do you know what that project was for? It was for
allowing Dow to research in poisonous gases and chemicals a field in
which they miserably failed at Bhopal.The state governmetn and its authorities and police helped Dow to construct the project secretively. But for the agitation of the local farmers the project would have come through. Dow withdrew the project. Even after that Dow has been trying hard to rescitate the project. US government had the guts to tell our government that they should ‘abte the public outcry in India against Dow’. They thought India was a banana republic. Around the time the Indo-US Business Council met in Washington two years back, Dow had floated the idea back proppagating the benefits of the project. You will not be surprised if in some near future the project reappears.
call me a pessimistc if you will, one more example of why we will never be a nation which can be called as a super power. a state which cannont even guarantee safe drinking water to its citizens, and needs a court order to do so. i think its safe to assume that there have been hundreds of crores of money of projects on paper taht have been put to supposeldy "Clean" this water.
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