The darkest night ....
today is also the twentieth anniversary of the worst industrial disaster the world has seen - the Bhopal gas tragedy, where methyl isocyanate leaked from Union Carbide's pesticide plant in Bhopal, killing more than 3000 (officially!) and injuring about half a million. Union Carbide got away with an out of court settlement of $470 million, most of which is still lying with the Indian government - who has shown an absolutely gutless face and an inability to stand up for the people who were affected.according to Union Carbide Corporation's official statement on Bhopal:
A thorough investigation was conducted by the engineering consulting firm Arthur D. Little. Its conclusion: The gas leak could only have been caused by deliberate sabotage. Someone purposely put water in the gas storage tank, causing a massive chemical reaction. Process safety systems had been put in place that would have kept the water from entering into the tank by accident.Thankfully, the issue is not yet over and done with, thanks largely to the efforts of NGOs such as the Association for India's Development (AID), Amnesty International, the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal (not really an NGO by itself, but a coalition), and Greenpeace
As a chemical engineer - it certainly was the darkest days for my profession, and it my heart goes out to all those who were hit by tragedy by this accident. This post is but a small effort towards spreading awareness about the tragedy.
News Links:
CNN
BBC News
1 comment:
Hey Aditya ...tnx to that wonderful link for "remember shakti".
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