UNION CARBIDE’S BHOPAL AID & RELIEF EFFORTS
Fifteen years ago did one of the worst disasters in the history of our planet
happen, the gas disaster in Bhopal. The reason is not really clear, but Union Carbide
claims that it was an act of sabotage.
Since the disaster have the company’s workforce been reduced from 98,400 employees
in 1984 to 11,500 today. Sales have also dropped with over $500 million in the last ten
years.
BHOPAL SETTLEMENT & AID TO VICTIMS
Years after the accident the company was fighting a legal battle with the Indian
government. Carbide was still determined that the cause of the gas leak was employee
sabotage. They were trying to defend themselves on that theory.
It was going to be a long process although in 1989 both sides finally agreed on an
impact, Union Carbide was guilty to pay $470 million in settlement. The Indian Government
did at first demand $3,1 billion.
Union Carbide has also paid hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars on hospitals
and clinics in Bhopal.
Some of the legal proceedings is still not over some of them haven’t even started.
One of the reasons is that the legal court in Bhopal doesn’t have enough experience
of this kind of cases. Over 500,000 victims or relatives had demanding different kinds of
settlements.
One other reason is that Union Carbide is using the Indian law system in all kind of
ways to slow down the trial because they think that sooner or later the Indian Government
will sign under an agreement.
The Union Carbide facility in Bhopal, India was shut down a short time after the
disaster.
THE CONSEQUENCE FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE DISASTER
The consequences of this disaster were devastating for people nearby.
Fifteen years have now passed on since Union Carbide’s factory spread toxic gases.
The first weeks after the accident 4000 people died
Bhopal has been called "Hiroshima of the chemical industry" after the first
atom bomb, which explored in 1945 in Hiroshima.
People in Bhopal are still dying, because of the accident. During these fifteen years
15 000 people have died and approximately 500 000 have become very sick.. It means that
older people can’t get out of bed each morning because of pain in their bones and
joints. It means that thousands of people still suffer from deceases that prevent them
from doing any physical labour.
The first years after the accident approximately two persons died every week.
The Bhopal gas disaster resulted in great social and economics disruption such as grief
in families, loss of jobs or ability to work. Survivors have not received reasonable
compensation for their losses.
According to the doctors the persons suffer from: inner injuries such as: Partly
disabled lung capacity, chronic coughing, pain in the stomach, pain in joints and kidneys,
running eyes and blurry vision which leads to bad concentration. Practically all people in
Bhopal have been effected by the accident by one way or another.
This disaster has been a big tragedy but the biggest problem is probably the insurance
payments and all the law suits. If people really want the insurance money they have to
bribe the right persons to get them. So much as one third of all the insurance money going
to the relatives of the victims has disappeared because of the major corruption, taking
place in the country.
The authority that has the responsibility for the money paid by Union Carbide, have
made more money on the interests, then the money the victims got.
Even though this happened fifteen years ago people still fight for justice. With the
present tempo of the investigations this will continue far in to next millennium, and a
lot of the survivors will probably be dead before they get their insurance money.