The Horrors of Indian Bureaucracy
One day we decided that it was time to actually see the abandoned Union Carbide pesticide factory that lies half a kilometer north of Sambhavna Clinic. Doing this meant that we required the written permission of the Bhopal local government, and so began a frustrating tour of Indian Bureaucracy.
On my arrival, this was the only sign to direct me.
On my arrival, this was the only sign to direct me.
Apparently some of the local lawyers share an open-air office in the parking lot of the Bhopal Administration building.
The first of several rooms I worked my way through. After 45 minutes of confusing conversations, I was eventually lead to the first person required to sign the permit to see the old factory. It turned out the second person required was on lunch break for another 50 minutes, even though this was at 10:30 in the morning.
I returned in the afternoon to get the second signature, which was accomplished in a mere 20 minutes. All told, I had taken 2 rickshaw rides and waited for nearly 2 hours before I finally got the two signatures I needed on the waiver to visit the factory. Whew!
The office of the Collector of Bhopal. Way nicer than the rest of the building's dilapidated offices.
In 1984 there was an explosion at the Union Carbide pesticide manufacturing factory, which was located just outside the city of Bhopal. A poisonous gas cloud was released through the city strceets; it was a chemical called methyl-isocynate (MIC). In the following 72 hours more than 10,000 people were killed due to exposure to this chemical. In the years following, this, as well as other toxic chemicals, have contaminated the water supply and to this day have caused tens of thousands of people to be afflicted with diseases, deformities and health problems, many of which are fatal.
The incident at Union Carbide was not some kind of fluke occurrence. It happened after the factory had been all but abandoned, after demand for pesticides had dropped and it had ceased to be profitable. Rather than spending the money to properly dispose of the hundreds of tons of MIC and other highly toxic chemicals stock-piled at their factory, Union Carbide decided to leave them sitting in their rusting tanks. Over time many of the safety features at the factory had been taken out of commission, due to the cost of their maintenance.
One night during a routine maintenance operation a valve failed to close and many gallons of water leaked into one of the MIC tanks. This initiated a runaway chemical reaction inside the tank, causing enormous pressure to build and eventually bursting several pipes.
In the centre of this photo is one of these pipes...
One of the three large, neglected, MIC tanks.
Remnants of the control room.
Inside one of the old buildings we found these documents, dated 1979, that outlined the dangers and possible hazards of operating the factory, given its use of a large number of toxic chemicals.
This was a family living in the slum that lies just on the other side of the factory's wall.
Union Carbide has now been bought out by another evil corporation called, Dow Chemical, famous for their production of napalm and 'agent orange'. An Indian court attempted to prosecute the former CEO of Union Carbide in 2000. He had retired in Florida, but magically disappeared when charges were pressed, and the company still maintains that they have no knowledge of his whereabouts. The victims of this disaster, most of whom suffer from permanent disabilities, received little or no compensation from the company. An out of court agreement was made, that only allotted the survivors $500 each...almost enough to buy 1 cup of chai each day for 5 years, certainly not enough for the expensive medicines they require everyday for the rest of their lives. Much of this money never reached the appropriate people, due to the abundance of corrupt local authorities.
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