Hope for Bhopal gas tragedy victims

Bhopal suffered a catastrophic toxic gas leak from the Union Carbide pesticides factory in the city’s southern part on the night of December 2-3, 1984. The release of methyl isocyanate gas, often termed “India’s Hiroshima”, eventually killed 5,479 people and left around 500,000 others injured. The disaster unleashed a spiral of suffering that persists to this day. Four decades later, the courts have expressed anguish over the fact that the site has not yet been cleaned up.

The Madhya Pradesh government has been reprimanded for its “state of inertia” that risks “another tragedy”. Observations by the MP High Court, calling this a “really sorry state of affairs,” focused on the failure to clean up the Union Carbide site, but they may well apply to the entire nation. While the disaster was caused by the company’s negligence and faulty systems, the failure to deliver justice and relief reflects systemic shortcomings in India’s regulatory and remedial processes. 

Today, images of cows and goats grazing around the long-deserted plant and toxic waste littering the site paint a grim picture. Residents of nearby settlements relying on groundwater have long complained about its odd taste. Multiple studies have confirmed contamination in the soil and water. For instance, a 2012 report by the Indian Institute of Toxicology Research found groundwater polluted with heavy metals like lead, with contamination spread to 18 nearby colonies. In 2018, water samples revealed toxic chemicals such as chlorobenzene, known to harm the brain, liver, and kidneys. 

In 1997, Eveready Industries India Ltd, which bought Union Carbide Corporation’s (UCC) share in Union Carbide India Ltd (UCIL), commissioned the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) to assess contamination at the site. NEERI identified severe toxic hotspots, findings corroborated by the environmental NGO Greenpeace, which reported large-scale contamination. Bhopal activists later sought legal remedies in US courts, holding Union Carbide Company (UCC) responsible for environmental harm.

For those living near the contamination zone, this is a ticking time bomb. Survivors of the gas leak endure harrowing health conditions: cancer, miscarriages, congenital deformities, and long-term illnesses. These effects have also led to premature deaths and lost livelihoods, consequences unimaginable when the Indian government promoted multinational corporations to invest in local industry in the late 1970s. 

The Bhopal plant, built to manufacture the pesticide Sevin, was part of an effort to boost agrarian self-reliance. Initially intended to formulate pesticides from imported components, UCIL began producing raw materials and intermediaries onsite—a cost-cutting move fraught with risks. Declining pesticide demand prompted the company to consider shutting down or relocating operations, and safety protocols deteriorated during this phase. On the fateful night, a faulty valve allowed water to mix with 40 tons of methyl isocyanate. Crucial safety systems, such as the vent-gas scrubber and the refrigeration units, were either turned off or inoperative, leading to the disaster. 

Despite numerous studies, surveys, recommendations, and committees, little decisive action has followed. Reports from groups like the Bhopal Gas Peer Review Committee have recommended stricter environmental, health, and safety regulations for multinational projects. Recommendations include relocating nearby communities and mandating Western-equivalent safety standards for materials and equipment. But these recommendations have remained on paper. 

Not much has changed since the disaster. Four days after the leak, UCC Chairman and CEO Warren Anderson was arrested, released on bail, and flown back to the US. The deaths and suffering, alongside ongoing environmental hazards, have been swept under the rug. The abandoned plant continues to threaten lives. But the court ruling on a petition filed in 2004 has renewed hope. The MP High Court warned of contempt proceedings against the principal secretary of the department concerned if toxic waste is not disposed of within a month. While this wake-up call may spur action, its lessons extend beyond Madhya Pradesh to the rest of India. 

As the clean-up unfolds, the nation must reflect on policies that appear to bring benefits but cause long-term damage. A strong India is not just about defending borders but also about ensuring robust systems that prevent companies—especially foreign multinationals—from evading accountability. Even if the clean-up happens eventually, the broader lesson of holding companies to higher standards remains to be learnt.

(The writer is the managing editor of The Billion Press)