ACTION ALERT: BHOPAL

[Neil Tangri <ntangri@essential.org>]

Official Report Leaked in Bhopal
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Dear Friends,

As you may know, this year marks the 15th anniversary of the worst
industrial disaster in history: the Union Carbide gas leak in Bhopal,
India. The gas has killed 16,000 victims so far, and the toll continues to
rise. Unfortunately, the Indian government has long ignored its
responsibilities to the victims. Now evidence has emerged that government
officials have been covering up the true scope of the problem.

The people around the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal have been long
complaining about the toxic wastes dumped by the company management in and
around the factory premises. It was evident as early as in 1982 (two years
before the disaster) that toxic wastes from Carbide were contaminating the
ground water in the vicinity of the factory. In April 1990, the presence of
at least seven toxic chemicals (two of them carcinogens) in the soil and
ground water were established through sample analysis at the Citizens
Environmental Laboratory, Boston. However, government research and
monitoring agencies as well as Ministers repeatedly asserted that there was
nothing wrong with the ground water around Carbide's factory.

Recently, one of the official reports (translated from Hindi below) was
accidentally leaked to the public. The report of the Public Health
Engineering Department of the State Government clearly shows that the
officials had full knowledge that the ground water was contaminated at
least eight years back. So the bureaucrats and ministers have been lying
all along, in an effort to evade their responsibilities.


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Report on Presence of  Chemicals in Groundwater sources near the Union
Carbide factory :

On 26 . 11 . '96 , ten samples were collected from J P Nagar, Atal Ayub
Nagar, Arif Nagar, Chhola and Kainchi Chhola all situated close to the
Union Carbide factory  and were tested at the State Research Laboratory,
Public Health Engineering Department (reports attached) .

All samples were subjected to both bacteriological and chemical analysis.
The results show that the ground water is contaminated with bacteria and
there is a heavy presence of chemicals. Normally the C O D (Chemical
Oxygen Demand) value in ground water is zero but the samples  tested here
had C O D values between 45 mg/l and 98 mg/l whereas, the WHO has fixed
the  standard value of C O D for natural water at 6 mg/l. The high values
of C O D found in the ground water establishes that large amounts of
chemicals are dissolved in it.

Usually C O D can not be brought down by commonly used techniques. When
river water is contaminated with chemicals one has to wait for it to come
down and this problem is controlled in a few days by dilution. With ground
water such a solution is not possible hence, it will be proper to stop
these sources.

Water from tubewells in other parts of Bhopal were examined at this
laboratory. However, chemical contamination was found only in these areas.
The tubewells in these areas were tested five years back and at that time
too  the results showed chemical contamination. Hence, it is established
that this pollution is due to chemicals used in the Union Carbide factory
that have proven to be extremely harmful for health. Therefore the use of
this water for drinking must be stopped immediately.

Sd. Chief Chemist
State Research Laboratory
Shyamla Hills
Bhopal
28 . 11 . '96

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Analyses of individual groundwater samples are attached to the report. Each
report includes a description of the sampling location and results for:
turbidity, pH, Conductivity, Phenophthaline alkalinity, Total alkalinity,
Chlorides, Nitrates, Total hardness, Calcium hardness, Magnesium hardness,
Total solids, Managnese, Sulphates, COD and concentration of coliform
organisms.

Each report also bears this warning from the chemist: "Water is chemically
as well as bacteriologically polluted. Not fit for drinking purpose."

***TAKE ACTION!!***

There are well over 10,000 people in the communities next to the Union
Carbide factory who are forced to drink water laced with toxic chemicals
routinely.  A majority of these people are still suffering from diseases
caused by the December '84 disaster.

Please send an email to the government of Madhya Pradesh asking for :
1. Provision of safe drinking water to the communities affected by ground
water contamination.
2. Scientific assessment of the environmental damage caused by Union
Carbide's reckless dumping of toxic wastes.
3. Rehabilitation of environmentally degraded soil and ground water.

Address your emails to:
Chief Minister <cm@mpchiefminister.com> and the Principal Secretary, Bhopal
Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation <dsmathur@vallabh.mp.nic.in>. Please
include <mrc@essential.org> on the cc: line so we know how many responses
there have been!

For more information on the Bhopal disaster, visit the website: www.bhopal.org
For information on the 15th anniversary campaign, visit
www.EssentialAction.org

In solidarity,


Neil Tangri

"An injustice to one is an injustice to all"

--

Neil TANGRI
Essential Action
PO Box 19405
Washington DC 20036
USA

Telephone: +1-202-387-8030
Fax: +1-202-234-5176

http://www.EssentialAction.org