The activists put up signs warning people that the site was
contaminated with hazardous waste dumped here by the UCIL during
its routine operations before it was shut down following the
disaster of December 3, 1984.
Over 500 families live around the former solar evaporation pond,
which is located approximately 400m to the north of the factory.
Waste from the factory was routinely dumped in this area, so that
the effluents and other volatile materials in the waste would
evaporate. Five years ago the site was cleaned up, but
inadequately. The local residents, unaware of the toxicity and the
hazards of the soil have been using the soil for surfacing their
courtyards and in some instances even to build houses in the area.
One of the evaporation ponds is inundated with monsoon water, and
is regularly used by children for swimming, and as drinking water
for cattle. The company had put up no signs to warn people of the
toxicity of these sites.
Satinath Sarangi of the Bhopal Group for Information and Action
says, "We are putting up the signposts here today to warn the
families, especially the children, who live here, that they have
literally been playing in Dow's toxic wastes. But the signs are
just a warning - the Bhopal tragedy cannot end until Dow acts on
its corporate promises, responds to the Bhopal survivors' appeals
for justice and accepts all its liabilities in Bhopal, including
their responsibility to clean up the toxic minefields they have
left behind."
Samples from the SEP area have been tested by the Greenpeace
Research Lab twice - once in 1999 and then in 2002. The 1999
Greenpeace survey included two samples from the SEP area. (Labunska
et al. 1999) Both samples contained traces of 1,4-dichlorobenzene,
and a number of aliphatic compounds.
The 2002 samples contained chlorinated benzenes and aromatic and
aliphatic hydrocarbons. All samples contained at least one
chlorinated benzene and numerous linear hydrocarbons. Alkylated
benzenes, phthalate esters, Phenol, 2,4-bis (1,1-dimethylethyl) and
molecular sulphur were also reliably identified in one or more
samples. The 2002 data are therefore indicative of more severe
contamination than was detected before. These chemicals are known
to be injurious to the central nervous system, liver, kidneys and
other organs.
This level of contamination has not been detected in the surface
soils of the closed SEPs to date, but if the extremely poor
containment is allowed to degrade any further, there is a very real
possibility of far more contaminated materials being unearthed and
distributed in the local environment with concomitant risks to the
local residents.
"I've investigated chemical contamination in many areas of the
world but Bhopal has to be one of the worst cases I've seen," said
Greenpeace scientist, Ruth Stringer. "This is just one of the
contaminated sites left by Union Carbide. In the factory grounds
there are hundred of tonnes of dangerous chemicals which are not
safely contained. These, and other chemicals from Union Carbide's
operations have poisoned the soil and groundwater that supplies
this part of the city. People who survived the gas leak have been
exposed to these poisons for eighteen years. This dump site and the
factory site are dangerous. They must be cleaned up urgently."
International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal (ICJB) is calling
on Dow Chemical to:
1. Face Trial: Face criminal liability charges as owners of
Union Carbide in the ongoing case pending in the Bhopal District
Court and ensure that prime accused Warren Anderson, former
chairman of Union Carbide appears to face trial in India.
2. Provide Long-term Health Care: Disclose information on the
toxicity of the leaked gases and their medical consequences, to
allow the proper treatment of the gas-affected persons, and arrange
for long-term medical care, monitoring and research of the
survivors and their future generations.
3. Clean Up: Provide for comprehensive environmental
remediation, within and outside the factory, and of the
contaminated groundwater. Ensure immediate supply of safe drinking
water to the affected communities.
4. Provide Economic Rehabilitation: Dow must provide livelihood
opportunities to victims who cannot pursue their usual trade as a
result of exposure-induced illnesses and income support to families
rendered destitute due to death or incapacitation of the
breadwinner of the family.
For more information:Namrata Chowdhary, Media Officer -
9810850092
Email id: 
For more information:Ganesh Nochur, Campaigner -
080-51154861
Email id: 