The Bhopal Tomb, which was born on the American Dream

On Sunday, December 2, 1984, the city of Bhopal fell asleep. The Bhopal people, as usual, slept in their homes to return to their livelihood the next day. But the sleep was not as long as it was long. Have most people dreamed that their sleep was the last sleep of their lives?

They did not think that the tons of toxic gases were leaving the Union Carbide factory near the homes of these poor people. Due to the painful cough and severe pain caused by these toxic gases, many people rushed to the hospital.

By the morning of December 3, the bodies of more than 5,000 Bhopal residents had fallen into the city without any reason. Bhopal also covered the bodies of animals such as cows, goats, and chickens.

It is estimated that over 25,000 people have died in Bhopal poisoning. More than 600,000 people suffer from health problems, such as cancer and vision problems.

The Bhopal disaster, one of the worst industrial disasters on earth, is still in vogue today, and this article is a detailed commentary on it. This review is carried out under the subsections of the immediate causes of December 2 and 3, the long-standing problems at the factory and the events that followed these tragedies.

Causes of the Disaster

The tragedy, which claimed the lives of 25,000 people, is the result of several events happening together. If these incidents had occurred separately, the tragedy would not have occurred.

In any chemical factory, some chemicals use chemicals that are harmful to human life. But the consequences of ignoring them and deliberately avoiding them are very high.

United Carbide, a pesticide factory, uses a toxic chemical called Mitchell Iso Cyanide as an intermediate chemical. That chemical is in the liquid state. But this chemical mixes very well with water and releases a lot of heat.

The heat turns the chemical into gas, and on that fateful night, 40 tonnes of methyl isocyanide is mixed with water and turned into air, releasing uncontrollably into the air in Bhopal.

All these incidents start with routine maintenance. At around 8 pm on the second day of December, a worker started pumping water into the pipeline through a pipe, which is a daily routine. The purpose of this task is to remove all-day dirt in the pipeline.

Before the pipe is washed, the tube section containing methyl isocyanide must be placed in the middle of an iron barrier and disconnected. This involves the removal of nails, re-installation, and the wearing of specialized clothing, which takes about two to three hours. Therefore, that safeguarding course was never followed.

But on the day of the incident, the garbage-free pipeline was trapped, and the water entering the pipe system was allowed to flow freely. It was then mixed with water, methyl iso or cyanide.

There were 3 tanks to store methyl isocyanide. One of these was always empty, and on the day of the event, one tank contained 40 tons and the other contained 15 tons. Water mixing began in a tank dubbed E610.

The tank had a capacity of 42 tons and stored this chemical under high pressure to prevent the flow of other substances. Although the pressure was monitored by the control room, many of the meters in the cabin were constantly giving the incorrect text, which caused the operators to ignore them.


Accordingly, the pressure meter readings of the E610 were rated at zero (0) for about six weeks. Although it was ignored by operators, the E610 pressure was as low as the pressure meter due to a leak in another valve.

By now the water was rising by mixing with methyl isocyanide and the air conditioners on the three tanks were shut down six months ago as a means of reducing the cost of production. It was possible.

With the increase in temperature, the process of methylation of methyl isocyanide, or three subunits, began. Excessive heat leaked into the joint, and the concrete layer that covered the methyl isocyanide system was cracked but did not explode.

Instead, it was released into the atmosphere through the toxic gases in the system. Poison gas is attached to the equipment to remove the toxic gases emitted. But ironically, the device did not work that day because of maintenance.

And that device is hardly enough to withstand 40 tons of toxic gas. How unfortunate it is to release toxic gases into the environment through the device itself.

It is also said that the tube that connects to the system had been removed long before the emission of toxic gases was released into the environment.

In the end, there was a method of using water from toxic gaseous water, but it was less effective because it was too low-pressure.

Even after the disaster, notification was very poor. They communicated it to the factory workers and the residents of Bhopal.

In a phone call to the hospital, the factory's health department said it was not a poisonous gas but was similar to tear gas. But what was the disaster?

Past reasons

United Carbide is one of America's most valuable companies. They came to India in 1969 as Sevin Pest Control Company. This pest can kill the pests by distorting the nervous system of the pest.

Bhopal, the capital of the state of Madhya Pradesh, is located in the center of India. Due to its central location in India, ease of transport throughout India and cheap land, they chose Bhopal for their factory.

Due to the high population growth in India in the 1980s, it was a popular view that pesticides were needed to meet the demand for food. To earn high profits, they refurbished the factory in 1983, which was a high-end factory in India at the time.

But their lucrative dream shattered. In early 1984, drought in India disrupted the agricultural production of farmers. At the same time, farmers' capital was scarce. They then withdrew from the use of agrochemicals and pesticides. Accordingly, United Carbide sales and revenues fell.

Their strategy was to reduce production costs. Instead, they focused on cost reduction rather than security. Examples include the failure of the air conditioning and the lack of proper maintenance of the monitoring meters.

They also reduced the training provided to their employees. Many encouraged training on the job, rather than specialized training.

United Carbide used two toxic chemicals to produce this pest. One is phosgene and the other is methyl ios cyanide. Login is a chemical used in World War I.

Because they are phosphine-poisoned, they store sufficient quantities per day, but they do not place the restriction on methyl isocyanide and use it to speed up their production.

Of course, they could execute the production process without methyl isocyanide, but for the financial gain, they used methyl isocyanide.


Rajkumar Keswani, a journalist who was continuously warning of the Bhopal disaster, but nobody bothered him.

He claimed that the fires of 1978 and the death of a worker named Mohamed Anwar in 1981 caused Fosgeen's poisoning.

In the articles "Bhopal, a city on a volcano," and "If you do not understand, you will be swept away," he had to give up his fight, but he had to give up his fight. The political authority that indirectly benefited him from this factory, and the attempt of the factory officials, though unsuccessful, gave up the fight.

A few months before the incident, the Indian company overlooked more than fifty recommendations given to the United Carbide factory.

What is clear about all this is that, in all cases, the priority of money has resulted in the loss of countless lives.

After the disaster

United Carbide has consistently stated that this is not a fault of their processes, but sabotage. But they also promised moral compensation and compensation.

The government of India has demanded Rs 3 billion as compensation but the company has only paid 470 million. Accordingly, each victim was paid a sum of Rs. 25,000.

Warren Anderson, chairman of the United Carbide Coalition, was arrested in India the next day but was later identified as acting for the elections that year.

On the intervention of Rajiv Gandhi, the then Chief Minister Arjun Singh and the Foreign Secretary, Anderson was released on $ 2,000 bail. Accordingly, Anderson went back to his home country and never returned to India.

Anderson, who lived quietly until his death in 2014, is still a warrant in the High Court of India. But the American government never handed him over to India, nor did he care for the dead copper of the dead.

In the end, the factory was shut down, citing as an employer-employee conflict. Accordingly, even those employees were not properly compensated.

Present Situation and Future

As you read this article, about 3km from the factory in Bhopal, the water has been poisoned and the government is providing the people with drinking water informally. And the factory premises have not yet been scientifically removed.

The factory still owns about one ton of toxins and it is now facing water sources due to rain. Children still living in the area live with various complications. The loss of anyone to blame for those lives is another extension of the Bhopal tragedy.

It is estimated that it will take another 50-75 years to recover. Until then, what to do with this helplessness?

Bhopal is an important lesson for environmental devastation and its consequences. The Bhopal disaster tells us that we are not a nation that can learn from the past.

Until the catastrophe comes to us, let's sleep more and more in the mad dream of development. Bhopal people when we wake up?