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November 11, 2009

India Criticized for Opening Bhopal Disaster Site Ahead of 25th Anniversary
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In India, the Indian government is facing criticism for a plan to open
up the site of the 1984 Bhopal disaster that killed thousands of people.
India says it’s opening the plant to prove it no longer poses a threat
to public safety. But critics say the plant still contains dangerous
chemicals. Next month will mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the
Bhopal disaster. On Tuesday, victims and advocates addressed the
European Parliament to call for direly needed aid to Bhopal residents.
Satinath Sarangi runs a clinic in Bhopal that provides survivors of the
disaster with free medical and community healthcare.

Satinath Sarangi: “I got there the day after the disaster, and I thought
‘nothing could be worse.’ But now I know better, because there are more
than 100,000 people still chronically ill today. Add to that the next
generation, the children born to gas-exposed parents, many of whom have
growth and development disorders, many of whom are born with birth
defects. And add to that the 25,000 to 30,000 people who live near the
factory and who have been forced to drink contaminated water for the
last fourteen to eighteen years.”

The Bhopal plant belonged to the US chemical company Union Carbide,
which is now owned by Dow Chemical.



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