Bhopal

Call For Submissions: “We All Live In Bhopal”

May 28, 2014 Creative Resistance, www.creativeresistance.org Create! Arts, Bhopal, Creative Resistance, Environment

What and where is your Bhopal? All over the world, individuals are fighting battles against corporate evasion of responsibility and prioritization of profit over human and environmental safety. We would like to hear your stories expressed through your art. Please feel free to understand and realize our theme however it inspires you. Your art will be exhibited throughout the week of the event, and can include Photography and Visual Media, Performance Art, Video, Musical Recording, Poetry, Writing & Stories. Deadline for submissions: September 1. We will respond whether we will be able to display your Art by September 15. Art must arrive in San Francisco by November 1.

Women of Bhopal Call on UN to Address Chemical Disaster

March 8, 2014 Getty, www.popularresistance.org Educate! Bhopal, India, Women's Rights

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, and in light of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which emphasize the importance of improving maternal/reproductive health, The International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal (ICJB) wishes to draw your attention to the ongoing plight of women impacted by the Bhopal gas disaster. December 3, 2014 will mark 30 years of the Bhopal gas disaster and an extraordinary struggle for justice led by ordinary Bhopali woman.

Bhopal Survivors To UN: Assist Us, Not Dow Chemical

February 21, 2014 ICJB, www.studentsforbbhopal.org Educate! Bhopal, Human Rights

The supporters said that it was a matter of serious concern that almost 30 years into disaster in Bhopal, not one of the UN agencies has lived up to its mandate by providing technical and other assistance towards the continuing humanitarian crisis in Bhopal. They said that while the UN has been negligent towards its responsibilities in Bhopal it has actively built its association with the corporation responsible for the ongoing disaster in Bhopal. The supporters handed over a letter from the Bhopal survivors meant for the Secretary General: In this letter survivors demanded that the United Nations terminate the membership of Dow Chemical, current owner of Union Carbide, in the United Nations Foundation for its ongoing violations of the human rights of the people of Bhopal.

Dow Sues Activists In India Over Bhopal Protest

February 10, 2014 Justin King, www.digitaljournal.com Educate! Bhopal, Corporatism, Health Care

Dow has filed its fourth lawsuit against activists in India that are seeking compensation for the 1984 gas leak at a Union Carbide Corporation facility in Bhopal. The Bhopal disaster killed 15,000 and affected an additional 500,000 in 1984. The plant leaked Methyl isocyanate, which has contaminated the area, including the ground water. Since 1984, activists worldwide have sought to obtain what they feel is suitable compensation and rehabilitation for the deaths and disability caused by the leak. 30 years later, the site is still contaminated. This year, in an attempt to bring more attention to the situation, Harvard students launched a year-long relay fast. Participants in the fast each abstain from eating for 24 hours, and then hand the fast off to another participant.

New Evidence In Case Against Union Carbide

February 8, 2014 Reena Shadaan, www.popularresistance.org Educate! Bhopal, Corporatism

January 29, 2014, New York: Plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Union Carbide Corp. released new evidence that demonstrates the chemical company’s direct role in designing and building the pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, that caused the world’s worst modern industrial disaster and continues to pollute residents’ water with toxins. Union Carbide, now a Dow Chemical subsidiary, refuses to clean up the site, claiming that its former Indian subsidiary bears sole responsibility. The victims have recently also sued the Indian State of Madhya Pradesh, (which leased the land on which the Bhopal plant was built), for the purpose of permitting cleanup of the contaminated site which has polluted the drinking water supply of nearby residential areas.

Year-Long Fast Launched For Justice For Bhopal Survivors

January 11, 2014 Reena Shadaan, www.popularresistance.org Resist! Bhopal, Corporatism

One month after Harvard students and community organizations launched a year-long fast in support of the survivors of the Bhopal Gas Disaster, support for their cause is growing.Over 50 people fasted for a day in December and organizers expect hundreds more to join in coming months. “The outpouring of spontaneous support for the fast in the first month has been heart-warming and we hope to build on it as we enter the 30th anniversary year of the disaster”, said Shashank Shukla, a graduate student at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and one of the organizers of the campaign. On December 3rd, 1984 in Bhopal, India, a lethal explosion at a Union Carbide (now Dow Chemical) pesticide plant in the middle of the city killed 8,000 people instantly and poisoned thousands. 347 tons of hazardous waste still lie at the site, and widespread soil and groundwater contamination has led to high incidence of cancers and birth defects.

Connecting The Dots: Bhopal To Hammond, Stratfor And Dow

December 30, 2013 Justin King, www.digitaljournal.com Educate! Bhopal, Corporatism, Environment, Health Care

Bhopal - In 1984, a Union Carbide Corporation plant expelled a deadly gas in the Indian city of Bhopal, killing an estimated 15,000 people. Thirty years later, the story continues and has involved people and corporations all over the world. Activist Reena Shadaan discussed the winding road leading from the plant’s opening, to the first safety issues, to the disaster, though the court cases, the Dow purchase, the intelligence gathering activities that followed, the Jeremy Hammond leak, all the way to the current campaign in support of the residents in Bhopal, which has received a major boost from an award-winning documentary.

29th Anniversary of Bhopal Gas Disaster In India

November 23, 2013 Reena Shadaan, www.popularresistance.org Educate! Bhopal, Corporatism, Environment

December 2/3 2013 marks the 29th anniversary of the world’s worst industrial disaster –the Bhopal Gas Disaster. The anniversary will mark 29 years since the people of Bhopal, India were exposed to 40 tons of the highly toxic, methyl isocyanate (MIC) due to the negligence of the American-owned Union Carbide Corporation (UCC), which is now owned by the Dow Chemical Company. The Bhopal gas disaster has resulted in 25,000 deaths to date, and currently affects over 500,000 people. Chronic health problems stemming from initial exposure to MIC (including sickness in the respiratory, ocular, neurological, neuromuscular, gynecological and reproductive systems) continue to plague survivors 29 years later.

North American Tour Of Documentary, Bhopali, And Survivor-Activist, Sanjay Verma

October 3, 2013 Reena Shadaan, www.popularresistance.org Educate! Bhopal, Corporatism, Environment, Human Rights

The Bhopal gas disaster has resulted in 25,000 deaths to date, and currently affects over 500,000 people. Chronic health problems stemming from initial exposure to MIC (including sickness in the respiratory, ocular, neurological, neuromuscular, gynecological and reproductive systems) continue to plague survivors 29 years later. Moreover, unsafe dumping practises by UCC have led to soil/groundwater contamination in 22 communities. Perhaps most tragic is the mutagenic effect of MIC exposure, leading to higher rates of developmental disabilities and congenital malformations amongst the children of survivors. Despite this, survivors have sustained a 29 year struggle for justice. The International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal, North America alongside Amnesty International Canada/USA, the Association for India’s Development (AID) and our local allies are launching a North American screening tour of the award-winning documentary, Bhopali, accompanied by survivor-activist, Sanjay Verma.

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