By Pervez Bari,
Bhopal: Leaders of the five NGOs (non-government organizations) working for the welfare of survivors of the December 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy, the world’s worst industrial disaster, have charged the Bharatiya Janata Party, (BJP), ruled Madhya Pradesh Government with criminal neglect in providing clean drinking water to neighbourhood residents of the erstwhile abandoned Union Carbide pesticide factory.
Addressing a Press conference here on Tuesday leaders of the five organizations said that thousands of residents are forced to drink and cook with local ground water that is contaminated by the hazardous wastes of the Union Carbide factory.
Satinath Sarangi of the Bhopal Group for Information and Action said that despite a Supreme Court order of May 2004 and the intervention by the Monitoring Committee set up by the Supreme Court at least 800 families are being denied piped supply of clean drinking water as of today.
Sarangi, who is also a member of the Monitoring Committee, said that on February 19, 2013, Justice K. K. Lahoti, the Committee’s Chairman, had given clear directions that the work of providing drinking water connections to all families that are resident of the 22 communities known to have contaminated ground water had to be completed by July 30.
Balkrishna Namdeo of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pension Bhogi Sangharsh Morcha said that there were 1000 people in Kainchi Chhola, Shiv Nagar and other areas whose houses were yet to be connected with pipelines. He said that homes of 3000 people in Jai Prakash Nagar, Karim Baksh Colony, Shakti Nagar, Navjeevan Colony and other areas were connected with pipelines but they had no water supply.
Ms Rashida Bi of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh said that hundreds of families in Prem Nagar, Shiv Nagar, Blue Moon Colony, Navjeevan Colony and Preet Nagar faced chronic shortage of drinking water because of low pressure of water that was supplied every alternate day.
Nawab Khan of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha said that in November 2012 and again in January 2013 the Supreme Court had issued clear directions to ensure that sewage lines and drinking water lines are kept apart so that there are no risks of contamination. He said that despite these orders in Nawab Colony, Preet Nagar and Shivshakti Nagar, there are several places where sewage and drinking water lines are close to each other.
Ms Safreen Khan a founder member of Children against Dow Carbide said that in June 2012 Justice Lahoti had reported to the Supreme Court that there was a great need for creating drainage in the areas being supplied with drinking water. She said that in the absence of drainage, large areas in Preet Nagar, Shankar Nagar, Blue Moon Colony, Nawab Colony, Ghareeb Nagar and Sundar Nagar remain water logged and are a health hazard for thousands of residents.
It may be recalled here that on the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984 Union Carbide pesticide manufacturing factory had spewed poisonous Methyl Iso-cyanate gas whereby 3000 people had perished virtually instantly and over the years more than 25000 have kissed death and the sad saga is still continuing uninterruptedly. About half a million are suffering from the side effects of the poisonous gas and several thousand people have been maimed for life. ([email protected])