Bhopal: A life in death

Today, the question is whether we have learnt any lessons from Bhopal, writes Binay Kumar.

December 3 happens to be the 20th anniversary of the biggest corporate crime ever committed in the history of mankind; it is no coincidence that the event doesn't deserve even a cursory glance in the Mecca of corporatisation, the American media.

Lest we forget, it was on this day 20 years ago - in the early hours of December 3, 1984 - that Bhopal was hit by a fatal gas leak from the American-owned plant of the Union Carbide Company. Over 40 tonnes of lethal gas spilled out from Union Carbide's pesticide factory. With safety systems either poorly maintained or, according to some accounts, turned off, a large part of the city was struck by the rapid spread of the lethal gas. People were woken by immediate bouts of fitful coughing, as their lungs filled with fluid. In the first three days following the disaster, at least 8,000 people died.

And the trail of death continues to haunt its residents even today; at least 25,000 more have died in the intervening years. According to one estimate, no less than 25 to 30 deaths in the city each month can be ascribed directly to illnesses arising out of exposure to the gas leak. Independent reports speak of more than 150,000 men, women and children continuing to suffer from acute health problems and disabilities because of the exposure to the deadly fumes.

The tragedy was also compounded by the collusion of an extremely insensitive, callous and slow-moving bureaucracy that India has always been known for. The first suit filed by Melvin Belli claimed damages of nearly $15 billion. Interestingly, however, by a quirk of intriguing manoeuvers, Union Carbide negotiated an out-of-court (read that for suspiciously underhand) settlement with the Indian Government in 1989 for a measly $470 million, which amounts to less than $300 per survivor. This is simply a tale of extraordinary wilful criminal negligence working to aid greed, dishonesty and hypocrisy on all sides.

As our readers would know, Union Carbide later merged with The Dow Chemical Company, the world's largest manufacturer of chemicals, with annual sales exceeding $30 billion. However, Dow has consistently refused to recognise these liabilities in India despite the fact that over 30,000 people who live close to the old Union Carbide plant continue to be exposed to toxic pollution from the abandoned factory.

Our bureaucracy couldn't have found a better soul mate than Dow. As the world's largest producer of chlorine, an essential component of the potential cancer-causing chemical, dioxin, Dow is "undoubtedly the largest root source of dioxin on the planet. In addition, through its subsidiary Dow AgroSciences, Dow is one of the largest producers of insecticides (Dursban), herbicides (Clincher) and fungicides, and has produced some of the most dangerous pesticides known to man, including the very well known or the infamous DDT, Dursban, and 2,4,5-T, the active ingredient of Agent Orange. Dow is now increasing its investment in genetically modified crops that can withstand high doses of its pesticides". Its role and culpability outside of the Bhopal gas tragedy is another can of worms we can leave for the moment.