Union Carbide vs. Survivors of the Tragedy
What Union Carbide Says...
Union Carbide has always maintained that they are not responsible for the leak and have done more to help the citizens of Bhopal than the Indian government required. The law about man-made disasters is that the polluter pays. Union Carbide says that is true; however. they were not the polluters. The corporation says that the polluter is Union Carbide India Limited since it was UCIL that owned and operated the plant.
As for helping the citizens, Union Carbide claims to have paid $470 million in 1989. This amount was ordered as settlement for the victims by the Indian government. Union Carbide also states that immediately after the incident they:
- Organized a team of medical experts to help identify the best treatment options and work with the local medical community
- Provided necessary medical equipment and supplies to the victims
- Shared all of the information needed about MIC (including toxicity studies)
- Dispatched a team of technical MIC experts to Bhopal
- Established a $100 million charitable trust fun to build a hospital for victims
- Offered a $2.2 million grant to establish a vocational-technical center in Bhopal to provide local jobs.
For a full report on what Union Carbide Corporation says about the Bhopal Gas Disaster, please visit www.bhopal.com
What the Citizens of Bhopal Say...
The people of Bhopal claim that Union Carbide Corporation is responsible for the disaster for many reasons. A major reason that the citizen claim it is UCC's fault is because several safety measures were not taken that could have prevented the disaster. Some of the factors leading to the disaster are:
- Storing MIC in large tanks and filling beyond recommended levels
- Failure of several safety systems (due to poor maintenance)
- Safety systems being switched off to save money—including the MIC tank refrigeration system
The severity of the tragedy could have lessened had UCC looked after safety measures of the plant. UCC also had different technology in the India plant than plants in the United States, claiming UCC sent UCIL "unproven technology."
Another reason the people of Bhopal say UCC is responsible is because they owned 50.9% of Union Carbide India Limited,making them the major shareholder. The Indian government says that owing over half the company made Union Carbide the polluter and the polluter pays.
The survivors also say that they have not gotten any of the compensation that Union Carbide Corporation says they have paid to the Indian government. Residents claim that the company has done nothing over the years as far as remediation for the environment.
UCC has claimed that they have no knowledge that the people of Bhopal are still suffering. There have been numerous case studies done that show that the groundwater is contaminated and that the babies born in Bhopal are being born with birth defects related to MIC.
Finally, the people of Bhopal feel that UCC and Dow is responsible because the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board directed to UCIL that it must provide environmental rehabilitation, returning the land to the condition it was in before the leak. The rehabilitation has yet to be completed.
