The documentation centre
Much information on the December 1984 Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal and its aftermath is lost, unavailable or classified. A large part of information that is actually available, remains within the tight-knit circle of bureaucrats, scientists, medical researchers and academics. (Union Carbide / Dow Chemical still withhold information on the exact composition of the gas hindering Sambhavna’s efforts at treatment). Government efforts to collect and distribute this information are absent and non-government initiatives towards documentation of the continuing disaster are rare.
Sambhavna’s Library and Documentation Centre holds the world’s largest collection of archives on the Bhopal disaster. The documentation unit collects, collates, and distributes medical and other information related to the disaster. There are thousands of newspaper articles which go back to December 3rd, 1984 and beyond. There are many medical studies and references that cannot be found elsewhere. You will also find photographs, videos, DVDs, CDs, campaign literature and educational material.
All information is made available to the Clinic’s staff, survivors, researchers, journalists and others. It’s a peaceful place to study, reflect and gather information. Quite possibly this is the only public repository of documents of its kind.It’s a work in progress in terms of categorising and filing but we’ll do our best to help you find what you need, or just suggest a good starting point according to your interests. There’s something in here for everyone!
