Lamakaan

The Bhopal gas tragedy: A continuing health crisis

Talk-cum-discussion on Thursday, 21 October at 6 pm at La Makaan, lane opp GVK Mall, adjacent to C Bay, Banjara Hills

When nations begin to industrialize, they garner resources for production technologies, but are loathe to spending money in rendering their toxic wastes harmless.  They are instead dumped on the environment as this entails no cost.  The impacts of such dumping show up as increased illnesses in humans and injury to vital life support systems, ie, air, water, land and biodiversity quality.   A 1,000 MW coal-based power plant requires 17,000 km² to sequester its CO₂ emissions.  To raise plantations on this area would cost Rs 3,500 cr in just the first year, a sum that exceeds half the plant cost. Existing forests do this job for free.

As countries progress, they accumulate sufficient surpluses and invest in minimizing impacts of toxic wastes at the local level, thus protecting their populations.  However, they continue to dump wastes that have global impacts.  Newly industrializing nations, eg, India, find themselves in the same position today that North nations were in 100 years ago.  They do not have the money to invest in pollution control and risk abatement.  A glaring case of dumping on the environment that had tragic consequence to people’s health is that of Bhopal gas leak.  Government of India today admits that more than 20,000 people have died due the 1984 MIC gas leak. Yet, little has been done to restore their health.

The agenda for the evening is as follows:

Introduction to dumping on the environment, 10 mins.

Ramana Dhara, Adjunct Professor, Emory University:  The need for community partnership in participatory epidemiology in the Bhopal disaster, 40 mins.