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40 years later, Bhopal Gas Tragedy survivors share lingering horrors on US tour
Since Dow Chemical (the current owners of Union Carbide) is headquartered in the United States, ICJB hopes to increase awareness and rekindle solidarity with Bhopal through this tour.
The survivors are currently on a 17-stop speaking tour across the United States organized by the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal (ICJB) / ICJB
Survivors of India's Bhopal Gas Tragedy, the world’s worst industrial disaster, are currently on a 17-stop speaking tour across the United States organized by the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal (ICJB) ahead of the 40th anniversary of the Bhopal disaster, on Dec. 3. .
Survivors will engage in discussions with environmental justice leaders, students, academics, and members of frontline communities during the tour, which is scheduled to conclude on September 25. Numerous events are organized in collaboration with US environmental justice organizations that are situated in Black and Brown communities, and each one includes a discussion and question-and-answer session with survivors.
Additionally, ICJB is meeting with federal lawmakers, seeking to designate Dec. 3 as Chemical Disaster Awareness Day and working with local groups to make Dec. 1-7 a Week of Solidarity with Bhopal.
Nida, 4 years old, is surrounded by her mother (Ishrat) and 3 doting cousins. On the night of the disaster, Ishrat lived across from the Union Carbide factory in JP Nagar and was badly exposed. She gave birth to Nida in 2001 who was born with a cleft lip. Ishrat died in 2011 from kidney failure. Nida's deformity made her a fierce campaigner seeking accountability from Union Carbide and Dow Chemical and from the Indian govt. / ICJBThe 1984 gas leak at the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal resulted in widespread groundwater contamination. Over 20,000 individuals have died as a result of chemical exposure while over 500,000 individuals continue to be significantly affected by chronic health conditions, generational birth defects, and ongoing groundwater contamination in Bhopal. No Union Carbide officials were ever held criminally responsible, and the company only paid victims and families
Last October, a representative of Dow Chemical (which now owns Union Carbide) showed up in a Bhopal court after two decades of evasion. But the company rejected the court’s jurisdiction, and insisted it has no responsibility to pay for a clean-up in Bhopal.
Since Dow Chemical is headquartered in the United States, ICJB hopes to increase awareness and rekindle solidarity with Bhopal through this tour. "The Bhopal gas disaster had significant consequences for environmental health policy in the US and across the world. However, survivors continue fighting for justice," an official release stated.
ICJB is a coalition that is comprised of survivors of the disaster, international volunteers, and environmental, social justice and human rights groups. In order to bring the Indian government and Dow Chemical to justice for the continuing chemical tragedy in Bhopal, India, ICJB employs nonviolent direct action, grassroots organizing, and education. It is led by half a dozen Bhopal survivor organizations working in close alliance with coalition members in India, Canada, the United States of America, and the United Kingdom.
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