Question

Bhopal gas disaster,,,, explain for 5 marks​

Answer 1

The leakage of Methyl isocyanide gas on the night of 2nd December 1984 in Bhopal which killed more than 15,000 people was named as the Bhopal Gas Disaster.

Explanation:

• In 1969 a pesticide manufacturing plant called as Union Carbide India Limited was established in the city of Bhopal.
• The plant was established to produce a chemical pesticide named Sevin, in which the gas Methyl isocyanide was an intermediate.
• There were several storage tanks which was to store the intermediate methyl isocyanide in highly pressurized containers, and about 30 tonnes of liquid Methyl isocyanide can be stored in each of these containers.
• But on the night of 1st December one container was filled with about 42 tonnes of Methyl isocyanide, thereby exceeding its capacity, which lead to the malfunctioning of the plant and the plant was shut down for one day for regular maintenance.
• But on the night of 2nd December 1984, about 30 tonnes of Methyl isocyanide gas was leaked in the atmosphere of Bhopal.
• The methyl isocyanide gas is colourless and most of the people inhaled the poisonous gas in their sleep. Soon hospitals in Bhopal began flooding with patients complaining problems in breathing, abdominal pain, etc.
• Doctors were not able to attend all the people, and people were left out to die on the streets.
• Around 15,000 people lost their lives, while official data numbers counts only 3,000. And 6,000 people were left visually disabled. After effects in the form of still birth and neo natal deaths still continues.
• The Company offered about 450 million dollars as compensation money to the people who lost their lives, but most of the people are still forced to live without any medical assistance.
• The fight of the survivors of this disaster still continues.