1984 Bhopal Tragedy (Documentary)
By media.desi on Mar 29, 2006 in Discussions, Documentary
In the wake of Bhopal Gas Victim’s march to Delhi, we are posting this video to show them our support. Watch this Documentary on the 1984 Bhopal disaster and aftermath. The Bhopal disaster is one of the world’s worst industrial disasters in the history of mankind. The explosion at Union Carbide plant located at the heart of the city of Bhopal caused a release of toxic gas rolled along the ground through the surrounding streets killing thousands of people. The gases also injured anywhere from 150,000 to 600,000 people. Six safety measures designed to prevent a gas leak had either malfunctioned, were turned off or were otherwise inadequate. In addition, the safety siren, intended to alert the community should an incident occur at the plant, was turned off.
Warren Anderson, Union Carbide India CEO knew about a 1982 safety audit of the Bhopal plant, which identified 30 major hazards. Rather than fix them in Bhopal, only the company’s identical plant in the US was fixed. Neglecting these hazards in Bhopal caused the deadly explosion. Anderson flew to India after the disaster but to the company’s surprise, police investigating the disaster immediately arrested him. He subsequently jumped bail and was flow by private jet back to the US, never to return to India. Now he lives a life of luxury in New York State. Anderson has been hiding in the US since the explosion at his company’s plant in Bhopal which caused the immediate deaths of thousands of people and led to life long suffering of over 150,000 survivors.
While fleeing the law in India his company abandoned the polluted factory site allowing it to poison Bhopal residents for 18 years. He did not disclose the composition of the poisonous gas (the company still claims this is a trade secret), thus preventing doctors from properly treating over 150,000 people who are still sick. Very little of the money from the settlement reached with Union Carbide went to the survivors, and people in the area feel betrayed not only by Union Carbide (and chairman Warren Anderson), but also by their own politicians. Dow Chemical took over Union Carbide in 2001 but it claims Union Carbide has ’settled’ the issue of Bhopal.
Read more at Wikipedia.org and GreenPeace.org
Also, Remembering Bhopal – A Photo Essay
Sources: the-image.blogspot.com, Google Videos, Greenpeace.org, Wikipedia.org
Yes, that was a horrible tragedy. Thousands died. Our politicians sat and did nothing. If the same accident would have happened in US, the entire company would have gone down.
Hopefully the Bhopal victims will get their rightful compensation
Anonymous | Mar 27, 2006 | Reply
I am with you dude. Its really heart burning let alone heart touching. And it is still continues in one form or other in India. I dont know when will people like in rang de basanti born again and do the needful.
blogger | Mar 27, 2006 | Reply
Its really a tragedy. I am pissed with these governments, let alone American. If the same 20,000 people die in any incident like that in America, probably the effect would be completely different. Bush will start another “War on Terror” LOL. Also our so called politician assholes must have ate all the money. Its heart rendering, even after 22 years they still have problems with water a basic aminity. Something should be seriosuly done to ensure the health of Bhopal’s people. Thanks to Desivideos team for bringing such a topic.
nishant | Mar 27, 2006 | Reply
Its interesting to see this topic reopened, andpeople still remember it. I’am one of the victim, I can’t forget that night, its like facing death.
I was 8 yrs old, and it was 2nd dec 1984, midnight around 12-2am, I start coughing, its like something choked in my throat, my sister wake up, and her eyes like burning sensation. We got phone calls from my dads collegues that there is some gas leak, so go to some safe place.
When we came out, its like all colony is outside only, everyone is trying to escape, run, screams, caughs. Nobody knows where to go, what to do, its difficult to breath. I remember, people are hanging in buses,trucks etc… Where Union Carbide is 10KM from my place, so you can imagine the situation of nearby places.
Immedeitly, my father started scooter,and me, my father, my mother, my 2 sisters (in single scooter), i on’t know, how my father drived that day, I continued driving, till stoped coughing, it was 5KM from my place, in the opposite direction of Union Carbide.Next day, we came to know, that appox. 10,000 people died, and many lakhs are seriously got lungs problem.
After, court case, with anderson and everything, on final settlement Indian Govt. got 700 crores(not sure).
As I know, they gave money something like this:
Temporary relief (1995)
1 lakh= person died
50000= serious
15000= normal
Final settlement 2004- 2005
2-5 LAKH= person died
1-2 lakh= serious
50000= normal
They did contructed few super speciality hospitals, schools, courts etc.
Anonymous | Mar 27, 2006 | Reply
It was “Methyl-Iso-Cynide” Gas.
Anonymous | Mar 27, 2006 | Reply
http://www.studentsforbhopal.org/WhatHappened.htm#KeyFacts
http://www.mp.nic.in/bgtrrdmp/facts.htm
20,000 people died
Anonymous | Mar 27, 2006 | Reply
its soo sad to learn from the first person perpective. hey anonymous I am really glad that you live today and I appreciate ur dad’s efforts to drive the whole family on the Scooter. Oh tears in my eyes. well good luck!!!!!
Swapna | Mar 27, 2006 | Reply
May their souls rest in peace.
God bless our INDIA
$@R@T# | Mar 28, 2006 | Reply
Who is to be blamed are indian politicans and planning development who first of all flouted all norms and gave permission. Then the local hired people looking after safety and last of all the people who took decisions at the Union Carbide plant in US. Now when our own people allowed such constructions and no one objected then how can u blame other ppl in union carbide management?
Anonymous | Mar 28, 2006 | Reply
We need people like Erin Brokowich. Our young generation is selfish and does not bother about this issues. They talk about reservations and pakistan a lot.
Anonymous | Jul 4, 2006 | Reply
I am also from Bhopal and 11 year old that time. Still remember what has happened and cann’t forget all that. Its really like at early age you saw lots of deaths. My parents have started camps that time. Daily both of them started early in the morning help the needed and injured person and came back in the evening, leave us at home alone. we are three brothers and sisters. once they have taken us to the camp, i have seen lady coughing and struggling for life. Hospitals were full with patients, schools and colleges are opened and temporary hospitals are made there. really i always cried after listening or remembering that.
Anonymous | Aug 9, 2006 | Reply
My eyes are filled with tears..
(
Oh GOD save INDIA from all disasters like these..
Kalyan.. | Sep 20, 2006 | Reply
What a gross injustice on a mass scale. Its almost a forgotten episode being hushed away into oblivion with each passing day. It is the inept Indian system and the politicians (the spineless scums of the earth) are the ones to be blamed. Lets not hop into blaming some one who is inconsequential….and take the easy route.
Why did Indian Government settle for few hundred crores? If Indian governement is not on the side of its citizen why blame US. Its easy to blame US and Anderson . The stark truth is, it is the government of the land that failed its citizens. Lets not be so simplistic in our analysis so as to blame US for every afflictions. Lets be sober enough to relaize the complicity of our people and have the gonads to accept things on its face value.
SKS | Oct 31, 2006 | Reply
the world trade center is costly because 3000 thousand lives of american and hundred of billions of US$ is the american justice system and war in afghan and iraq is fundimantal system of so called white house those inocent killed in war is pentogen law indian blind to elect the goverment that canot protect from this kind of tragdy
imad | Nov 23, 2006 | Reply
I wasn’t even aware of such incidents happened in my country.i am really shocked n surprised to find out the bhopal tragedy n the loss of human lives at that scale. I am very sorry for those people n blame the indian govt. n politicians r responsible .wuld the usa govt keep mum if it happened on their soil by an Indian company? basically we Indians forgot the value of life n dont even shed a tear for those helpless victims.
V Reddy | Apr 16, 2007 | Reply
hi tshis is manav singh ,when i knew about this disaster i never judge that who is responsibel for this ,in my views we peuple are responsibel,for all thing that has taken place in india .becuse we know that we are indian but still we are not close to each other , we should come in front and joint shoulder to shoulder ,and we should help the poor peuple from overcome this disaster ,we should not think about us we should think about other than only we can stop other disaster from take place ,not only this we should regularly search for best politision and ona day we will find that one, but today potics is field of rich peuple so we have to make, india ,beutiful ,powerful ,selfdepend.
manav singh | Apr 24, 2007 | Reply
We should not start another blame game guys, lots of them are already going on for several issues.
Everybody in India got used to such kind of incidents/accidents and we are treating these things as just ‘News’, nothing more than that.
We need to do something constrctive instead of blaming the politicians and govt officials. Unless and until some revolution starts from the common/educated people nothing is going to change.
And, I think we are lucky than our earlier generations. Do you know why?… because we do have the most powerful media – “internet” in our hands to express our views and god has given India great brains to think. So, letz start thinking about:
– how can this system be made more responsible
– how people can become more organized
– how to eliminate the corruption and the red tapism
and express the same in internet.
We should be the starting point for this Resposibility chain … then, we can make sure that nothing like ‘bhopal’ gonna happen in future.
=Jai hind=
Viswanath
Viswanath | Jun 22, 2007 | Reply
god help india from this type of assholes ruling the states and the country. these shit ppl should be punished in some way. God, just imagine thousands of people dying from just a malfunction and lakhs of ppl still suffering from tht incident, its devastating, we guys gotta do something, we should support each other first, if this was to happen in america, not even this, only a few ppl were killed they would create drama all over the world, as our frnd said we shouldn’t blame it on others, we should some how kickass our politicians, something should be done, it might take a while, but something should be done, i support every one of u guys.
jai hind
nandu | Jul 5, 2007 | Reply
Dear…
What for you have placed my photos on this site?
http://hardingchat.tripod.com/
Fuhhacequenup | Jan 16, 2008 | Reply