00:00 Almost 40 years ago, this factory in Bhopal, in India, had a leak that released tons of
00:06 poisonous gas.
00:07 "Those who fell never got up.
00:10 And everyone was just asking for one thing.
00:13 God give us death or Allah give us death."
00:16 The results led to a supply of toxic water, which is still affecting locals.
00:21 "It isn't bitter, it tastes weird."
00:23 "These are chemicals that stay in the environment for hundreds of years and they cause extensive
00:32 damage to lungs, kidney, brain, cancers, blood defects."
00:37 This incident continues to have a disastrous impact and has been linked to the deaths of
00:42 thousands of Indian residents over the years.
00:47 The Bhopal gas leak of 1984 is considered one of the world's worst industrial disasters.
00:53 It's even harmed babies developing in the womb.
01:04 Siddhesh Polkandwar is 22 years old.
01:08 His mother, Meeta Polkandwar, is feeding him chapati and mashed veggies for lunch.
01:16 Siddhesh was born with cerebral palsy.
01:19 He is unable to walk, sit or eat without assistance.
01:24 It's difficult for his mother to provide him with the care he needs because she has her
01:29 own health issues.
01:30 "I have to clean him, his diapers need changing, he needs bathing and then I have to feed him.
01:39 He cannot do anything with his own hands.
01:43 Whatever has to be done, I have to do it.
01:45 To get him ready, lift him on his wheelchair, everything."
01:52 Meeta is almost 50 and has many medical ailments including epilepsy.
02:03 She lives with her mother, Surekha Lakhewar, who at 70 years of age is the main caregiver
02:09 for both Meeta and her grandson Siddhesh.
02:15 Meeta started having seizures after the gas leak.
02:18 Siddhesh was born two decades later with major health complications.
02:27 Like thousands of other victims, his story is a continuation of the tragic legacy of
02:33 this disaster.
02:34 "During the gas leak, it felt like our eyes were burning and we could not speak.
02:41 It hurt badly.
02:42 It felt like somebody poured chillies in our eyes and as if somebody choked our throats."
02:46 Surekha's family were all affected by the aftermath of the gas leak.
02:54 The catastrophe turned her world upside down.
02:58 After Siddhesh was born with neurological conditions, his father abandoned him and Surekha
03:03 became their primary caregiver.
03:06 "Before the gas leak, we were a healthy family.
03:10 We had no medical problems.
03:13 We didn't need any medication, although we did all have some issues with our eyes.
03:19 Our eldest daughter had issues with her vision, so she needed glasses.
03:23 Our youngest daughter developed really severe health issues after the leak.
03:27 We all got sick and it has not improved since then.
03:31 We are always sick with something."
03:37 In 1984, 40 tonnes of deadly methyl isocyanate, known as MIC gas, leaked from the pesticide
03:44 plant in Bhopal.
03:46 3,000 people had died within the first few hours.
03:49 Official numbers estimate around 15,000 victims, but activists say it is nearly four times
03:56 that number.
03:57 The catastrophe led to significant changes in India, and for the first time, the focus
04:02 shifted to protect people and the environment from industrial accidents.
04:06 As a response to the tragedy, the government introduced new laws such as the Environment
04:11 Protection Act.
04:12 But the company responsible, Union Carbide, never faced justice.
04:16 Though charged with culpable homicide, its chief executive refused to face trial in India.
04:22 However, the company did agree to a $470 million payout in 1989.
04:29 Methyl isocyanate is known to damage human DNA by interacting with proteins.
04:35 In 1985, the National Institute for Research in Environmental Health and the Indian Council
04:40 for Medical Research conducted research finding that 9% of the 1,048 babies born to mothers
04:48 exposed to the toxic gas were born with congenital disorders, compared to 1.3% of the 1,247 babies
04:57 born to unexposed mothers.
04:59 This data shows a strong correlation between the gas leak and birth defects, but it was
05:04 never released to the public.
05:06 Activists question the motivations for keeping this data secret, alleging collusion between
05:11 the government and Union Carbide, along with its current owner, Dow Chemical.
05:16 One of the victims, Rashida B., is helping children born to exposed parents.
05:21 Her center, Chingari, provides them with free health care and rehabilitation programs.
05:26 She says the effects of the gas leak was also a disaster for environmental justice.
05:33 "340 tons of waste is in a room.
05:38 But underneath that, the soil is filled with 1.1 million tons of waste, and it continues
05:43 to poison the surroundings.
05:45 The government isn't talking about the cleanup, only about the waste."
05:49 In 2009, two Indian government institutes conducted a study determining the factory
05:56 site still contains about 1 million tons of contaminated soil, 1 ton of mercury spillage,
06:03 and nearly 150 tons of hazardous waste buried underground.
06:08 There is also 330 metric tons of toxic waste in the factory itself.
06:13 Today, the factory is deserted, but goats are still grazing the grounds and people still
06:20 trespass in what should be a containment zone.
06:25 The area around the factory is densely populated, and many reports state that the groundwater
06:31 has become extremely toxic.
06:34 Professor Indumati Nambi of India's Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras, was appointed
06:40 by India's Supreme Court to examine water contamination in the area.
06:44 In 2018, she tested 20 samples taken from around the factory premises.
06:48 "We did find chlorinated compounds at significantly high concentrations in these water, which
06:56 were connected to the chemicals which were used in the Union Carbide Plant.
07:01 And it is a well-known fact that these organic chemicals can stay around for decades after
07:07 the spill occurs."
07:08 In accordance with several court orders and findings from various scientific studies,
07:12 the government is mandated to provide safe drinking water to 42 different areas in Bhopal.
07:18 This is an increase from the 14 areas that it was responsible for just 15 years ago,
07:23 which indicates the wide spread of contamination.
07:27 "Typically, chlorinated compounds are supposed to be toxic.
07:32 The more the number of chlorine atoms, the more is the toxicity.
07:36 Some of them have been reported to be carcinogenic, neurological effects, reproductive effects.
07:45 They have known to cause all those effects."
07:47 The gas leak has become a major milestone since India gained independence.
07:52 But the silence around the event has become deafening.
07:55 I tried to approach the minister responsible to create plans for a clean-up, but he declined
08:00 to appear on camera, saying he is not allowed to speak with foreign press.
08:05 Back at her home, Surekha is concerned about what will happen to her family after she is
08:11 gone.
08:12 "There is no one else here.
08:14 What if I get sick?
08:15 My daughter cannot do anything.
08:18 What will happen to them when I go?
08:22 I can't stop thinking about that these days."
08:30 The Bhopal gas disaster happened almost 40 years ago.
08:34 Many people may have forgotten about it, but thousands of families in India are still affected.
08:41 .
08:42 .
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