Against the NGOs and the vicitms’ notion that tons of toxic wastes lying in the Union Carbide’s closed plant has caused water pollution, the Madhya Pradesh government has slapped its findings that may trigger a fresh debate over the Bhopal gas disaster.
As more and more people are suffering even after 25 years of the worst ever industrial disaster, which claimed thousands of lives in 1984, NGOs like Sambhavna Trust Clinic have continuously raised the issue that toxic waste lying at the closed unit’s plant has percolated and has polluted the ground water in the area to a lethal limit.
But the government report, which is yet to be made public, (a copy of which is available with BS) has opposed the theory. It has said the increased cases of morbidities are due to “repeated misleading propaganda”.
Sponsored and financed by the department of gas tragedy, relief and rehabilitation, Madhya Pradesh, the study conducted by the department of preventive and social medicine, Gandhi Medical College Bhopal, has revealed: “There is no evidence to suggest that the ground water has become toxic due to percolation of toxicants from Union Carbide disposal area/ solar evaporation pond/ land fill. In fact over the last 23 years as many as eleven studies by different groups have reported the ground water to be within the drinking quality standards.”
The report “Epideminological study of morbidities in communities living around solar evaporation ponds and behind the Union Carbide Factory, Bhopal 2007-2008,” further says: “This study did not find cause and effect relationship between the toxicant present in Union Carbide premises with that of the morbidities seen in the study area.”
The survey was conducted in 14 affected localities and six control localities. Under affected localities 997 families were surveyed of the total estimated population of 26, 480 and 5, 242 estimated families, while 1, 126 families were surveyed under control localities. To extend the survey, the department included 24 years of age (may be toxic gas exposed as well at the time of toxic gas disaster) and those born after the disaster (under 24 years of age).
“However morbidities among under-24 years of age in the affected area were statistically significant higher than those seen among under 24 years in control area,” the report said. The report has also advised that there is a need to investigate the reason for such observations like significantly higher morbidities among above 24 years of age group in affected area and significantly higher morbidities among under 24 years of age group in affected in comparison to same in control area. It has said: “The increased morbidities among the above 24 years age group in the affected area could be earlier toxic gas exposure, confounding effect of aging poor socio economic standards and bad environmental/ sanitation conditions, commonly seen in slums, bad water quality at provider and consumer end, repeated misleading propaganda and self perceived morbidities. Reasons higher morbidities among under 24 years of age group in affected area could be all above factors except confounding effect of aging and the toxic gas exposure.” The report has also not observed any physiological changes like menarche. Even number of cancer cases in the affected and control area population were too small to draw any meaningful conclusion.
The report has brushed aside the NGOs reports, allegations and surveys aside: “That though comparatively significantly higher level of symptomatic morbidities have been noticed in both cohorts of above 24 years of age and under 24 years of age in the affected area in comparison to same in control area, there is no evidence to develop cause and effect relationship between the toxicants alleged to be present in Union Carbide premises, following their absence in the ground water and in blood samples of the residents.” The NGOs and sufferers are demanding it to be cleaned by the company which has acquired Union Carbide.
Expressing dismay over the report Satinath Sarangi, an activist who is fighting for the rights of survivors said, “We did a sting operations and we have video on how this study has been conducted by the government. Those who were engaged in survey filled proformas of survey on their own in minutes. How this report can be trusted?” The government has not made the report public, “We will make it public at an appropriate time,” said secretary, Gas relief and rehabilitation department S R Mohanti.. While the minister Babulal Gaur gave references of a Neeri report and said, “The toxics lying in the premises are not even effective on rats.”
