Back in Dec’09 it was 25 years since the Union Carbide plant accident took place.
In December 1984 India saw the beginning of the worst industrial disaster in history. It has come to be known as the Hiroshima of the chemical industry. 40 tonnes of deadly methyl isocyanate gas, used in the manufacture of the pesticide Sevin, spewed from the plant into the surrounding areas.
8-10,000 people died within the first 72 hours and another 15,000 people have died as a result of their exposure to the gas. Another 120,000 have chronic medical conditions that require constant healthcare.
The death toll stands at 25,000+
The following footage from the You Tube channel: http://www.youtube.com/BhopalMedicalAppeal is unbelievably graphic in terms of showing:
Indra Sinha, who was Booker-nominated for his book on the Bhopal disaster, explains in the following article why the gas leak that killed 20,000 people 25 years ago – and continues to create health problems for countless more. The pictures in the article are also haunting.
In addition, the following video, you can see the need for more health resources and the appalling fact that you can see the contaminated soil that is still present.
The sad news is that people are still suffering.
What is so so sad is the fact that as we enter the 26th year of the tragedy, those who have the power to help appear to be not!? Maybe public pressure can help. I certainly missed this news item. Does this mean that what we do not see can not move us? Do we forget because the public eye facilitated by the media is blind?
Or, on a positive note now that we know that people are still suffering, we can reach out and help.
Recently, over a thousand party revellers turned out to a party in an abandoned building in London, all on the whim of a Facebook invitation. It is a pity that we do not exercise our disgust and demand for justice using such tools!
The Bhopal Medical Appeal funds the Sambhavna Clinic. Sambhavna is the only place that offers free treatment to anybody affected by the toxic gas or the toxic water. This Medical Appeal offers free health care and hope to the survivors of the 1984 Union Carbide gas leak disaster and those suffering from the present day water poisoning. Find out more at: http://www.bhopal.org
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