Towards Disaster The shutting off of the refrigeration system of the MIC unit in June 1984 signaled the beginning of the journey towards disaster. The crucial subsequent developments were as follows. According to UCIL: “…from 22nd […]
The Crime of Union Carbide 07 Read More »
It has been widely reported in the Indian media this week that the 2011 census has shown a national drop in child sex ratio. The 2001 census places girl:boy ratio in India at 927:1000; 2011 results
Sambhavna celebrates International Women’s Day Read More »
Management’s Gross Indifference The rising sense of insecurity forced Shahnawaz Khan, a Bhopal-based lawyer, to serve a legal notice on the UCIL management on 04.03.1983 complaining about the danger, which the UCIL plant posed to the
The Crime of Union Carbide 06 Read More »
Name: Nagendra Chaturvedi Age: 25 Job Title: Information in Charge (Since March) What are your first impressions of Sambhavna? “The staff at Sambhavna are like a big family. They adhere to a system of work and
New Faces at Sambhavna Read More »
In Dec. 1984, right before midnight and without warning, the gas leaked from the Union Carbide factory. The cool night breeze blew the gas — extremely toxic methyl isocynate — over the city of Bhopal, India,
Bhopali a tough, gripping documentary Read More »
Early warnings The pesticide unit for manufacturing “SEVIN” (the brand name of one of the pesticides marketed by UCC) was commissioned at the Bhopal plant in 1977. It was initially operated by importing MIC (which was
The Crime of Union Carbide 05 Read More »
“It can’t happen here!” After the UCC Investigation Team had completed its presentation at the said press conference, Jackson Browning, UCC’s Vice-President for Health, Safety, and Environmental Affairs also addressed the press. He confined himself to
The Crime of Union Carbide 04 Read More »
UCC’s Report According to UCC’s own Report, on the night of 2/3.12.1984, all the critical safety systems at the Bhopal plant had either been shut off or were dysfunctional: (1) “The VGS had been removed from
The Crime of Union Carbide 03 Read More »
Violation of Safety Norms UCC’s own brochure on MIC had clearly stated that: (1) “Methyl isocyanate (MIC) is reactive, toxic, volatile, and flammable” (p.1); (2) it “is a hazardous material by all means of contact”; (3)
The Crime of Union Carbide 02 Read More »
The inhabitants of Bhopal became victims of the world’s worst industrial disaster when on the night of 02/03 December 1984 a huge toxic plume engulfed about two-thirds of the city for over two hours before dissipating.
The Crime of Union Carbide 01 Read More »
With hardly a week left for the Supreme Court to commence hearing on the CBI’s curative petitions in the 1984 Bhopal Gas tragedy, the State of Madhya Pradesh on Thursday moved the court seeking permission to
MP govt backs CBI stand against Bhopal gas verdict Read More »
As I mentioned in the last post, diabetes is becoming a major health issue for low-income areas of India. It is estimated that there will be a 42% increase from 51 million to 72 million in
