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Bhopal Second Disaster

100 images Created 1 Sep 2009

On the night of December 3rd 1984, Bhopal became the site of the most devastating chemical disaster in industrial history. Thousands of people died immediately as poison gas leaked from a pesticide plant and formed a deadly cloud that moved through the Indian city. In retrospect Bhopal was the seminal catastrophe of globalization, as the company responsible for the leak was an Indian subsidiary of the American corporation Union Carbide, now DOW Chemical. Who would assume liability, who would care for the victims, and the survivors?

Three decades later, the Bhopal disaster just won't go away. Courts in India and the United States are still dealing with the consequences of the accident, as activists around the world work to hold the guilty parties and their legal successors to account - while the latter don't feel responsible. In Old Bhopal, the ruins of the former chemical plant are still standing, and hazardous waste from the pesticide production preceding the disaster in 1984 is still contaminating soil (on which some people build houses) and groundwater (which some people drink) - while those living in New Bhopal dream of India's fragile economic miracle.

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  • Babies who died as a consequence to the '1984 Gas Disaster', caused by the negligence of the American corporation Union Carbide, (now DOW Chemical) over thirty years ago, are exhibited in a special section of the Gandhi Medical College in Bhopal, central India. Almost half of the pregnant women exposed to Union Carbide's killer gas aborted spontaneously.
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  • Rachi, 7, a disabled girl affected by microcephaly and myoclonic epilepsy, is trying to unknot a cord to her ankle, used by her mother Jyoti Yadav, 34, a '1984 Gas Survivor', to keep her from wandering off alone, and being at risk of abuse and danger, while inside their home in Bhopal, central India.
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  • Aadite, 10, a disabled boy affected by microcephaly, cerebral palsy and malnutrition, is being held by his mother, Lakshmi, 30, while inside their home in Kabit Pura, near the Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) industrial complex in Bhopal, central India. Aadite's father, Raju, a '1984 Gas Survivor', died in March 2013 at the age of 32 due to lungs failure. Because of his mother's need to act as the family's breadwinner, Aadite cannot attend the programs run by 'Chingari Trust Rehabilitation Centre', one of two vital medical institutions funded by 'The Bhopal Medical Appeal'. Lakshmi, 29, works six days a week as a cleaner, and Aadite is looked after by his two sisters Mayuri, 13, Mahag, 8, and his younger brother Anuj, 6. None of the siblings in this family are attending school or any kind of practical education.
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  • Neha, 7, is standing by the entrance of her home in Indira Nagar, near the abandoned Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) industrial complex in Bhopal, central India. She was born blind, affected by a severe neurological disorder, and due to insufficient care, she has developed a skin infection and severe malnutrition. Neha's mother, a '1984 Gas Survivor', died in 2011, while her father abandoned her in September 2013. She now lives in a government-run facility for orphaned children.
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  • Fist up towards the sky, Rashida Bee, 57, (centre) is demonstrating along other '1984 Gas Survivors' next to the abandoned Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) industrial complex in Bhopal, central India, on the evening of the 29th anniversary since the infamous 'Gas Disaster', on December 2, 2013. Rashida Bee is the founder of 'Chingari Trust Rehabilitation Centre', one of two vital medical institutions funded by 'The Bhopal Medical Appeal'.
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  • A girl is walking barefoot next to a woman collecting water from a broken municipal pipe running near a drain in Kasi Camp, one of the water-affected colonies standing close to the abandoned Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) industrial complex in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, central India.
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  • Salman, 13, a boy suffering from a severe neurological disorder and blindness, is standing in his home in Arif Nagar, one of the water-affected colonies near the abandoned Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) industrial complex in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, central India.
    007_Bhopal_Second_Disaster.JPG
  • Dark clouds are raising over the abandoned Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) industrial complex in Bhopal, central India, site of the infamous '1984 Gas Disaster'. The poisonous cloud that enveloped Bhopal left everlasting consequences that today continue to consume people's lives.
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  • Poonam, 6, is revelling in the heavy monsoon rain in Oriya Basti, one of the water-contaminated colonies near the abandoned Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) industrial complex in Bhopal, central India, site of the infamous '1984 Gas Disaster'. When the monsoon rain falls every year, it seeps through the buried, hazardous waste of Union Carbide, before proceeding to pollute the area's underground water reservoirs.
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  • The mother of Samir, 14, a severely disabled boy, is brushing his teeth with her finger, while inside their home in Kasi Camp, one of the water-contaminated colonies near the abandoned Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) industrial complex in Bhopal, central India, site of the infamous ‘1984 Gas Disaster’.
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  • A young boy is crying for attention inside a makeshift house in Oriya Basti, one of the water-affected colonies near the abandoned Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) industrial complex in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, site of the infamous 1984 gas tragedy. The poisonous cloud that enveloped Bhopal left everlasting consequences that today continue to consume people's lives.
    011_Bhopal_Second_Disaster.JPG
  • Warming up during a cold morning, two young siblings are sitting by the fire in front of their home by the railway tracks in New Arif Nagar, one of the water-affected colonies standing next to the abandoned Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) industrial complex, site of the infamous 1984 gas tragedy in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, central India.
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  • A woman is lifting her child on the streets of Oriya Basti, one of the water-affected colonies surrounding the abandoned Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) industrial complex in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, site of the infamous 1984 gas tragedy. The poisonous cloud that enveloped Bhopal left everlasting consequences that today continue to consume people's lives.
    013_Bhopal_Second_Disaster.JPG
  • Samir, 14, a severely disabled boy, is pointing his finger towards the light, indicating to his mother that he wishes to be taken outside, while in his home in Kasi Camp, one of the water-affected colonies near the abandoned Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) industrial complex in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, central India.
    014_Bhopal_Second_Disaster.JPG
  • Children are playing along a municipal drain in Kasi Camp, one of the water-affected colonies near the abandoned Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) industrial complex in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, site of the infamous 1984 gas tragedy. The poisonous cloud that enveloped Bhopal left everlasting consequences that today continue to consume people's lives.
    015_Bhopal_Second_Disaster.JPG
  • The Control Room of Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) is lying in full disrepair inside their derelict industrial complex in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, central India, site of the infamous '1984 Gas Disaster'.
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  • Zubin, 3, a severely disabled girl, is being held by her mother inside their home in one of the water-affected colonies near the abandoned Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) industrial complex in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, site of the infamous 1984 gas tragedy. The poisonous cloud that enveloped Bhopal left everlasting consequences that today continue to consume people's lives. Zubin has deceased.
    017_Bhopal_Second_Disaster.JPG
  • Hindus are celebrating the Dussehra Festival in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, near the abandoned Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) industrial complex, site of the infamous 1984 gas tragedy. The poisonous cloud that enveloped Bhopal left everlasting consequences that today continue to consume people's lives.
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  • A girl is busy collecting potable drinking water delivered by a government truck in Oriya Basti, one of the water-affected colonies near the abandoned Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) industrial complex in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, central India.
    019_Bhopal_Second_Disaster.JPG
  • Aadite, 10, a boy suffering from spastic microcephaly, cerebral palsy and malnutrition, is laying motionless on a bed inside his home in Kabit Pura, near the abandoned Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) industrial complex in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, central India. Aadite's father, Raju, a '1984 Gas Survivor', died in March 2013 at the age of 32, due to lungs failure. Because of his mother's need to act as the family's breadwinner, Aadite cannot attend the programs 'Chingari Trust Rehabilitation Centre', one of two vital medical institutions funded by 'The Bhopal Medical Appeal'. He lives his days inside a small room he occupies with his mother, Lakshmi, 30, who works six days a week as a cleaner, his two sisters Mayuri, 12, Mahag, 7, and his younger brother Anuj, 5. None of his siblings are attending school or any kind of practical education.
    020_Bhopal_Second_Disaster.JPG
  • Chemical products are lying in the packaging room of the abandoned Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) industrial complex, still standing in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, site of the infamous 1984 gas tragedy. The poisonous cloud that enveloped Bhopal left everlasting consequences that today continue to consume people's lives.
    021_Bhopal_Second_Disaster.JPG
  • Two boys are walking inside one of the large evaporation pools once used by Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) to dispose of its chemical wastewater, near the abandoned industrial complex in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, central India.
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  • Aadite, 9, a disabled boy affected by microcephaly, cerebral palsy and malnutrition, is watching cartoons while laying motionless on a bed inside his home in Kabit Pura, near the abandoned Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) industrial complex in Bhopal, central India. Aadite's father, Raju, a '1984 Gas Survivor', died in March 2013 at the age of 32, due to lungs failure. Because of his mother's need to act as the family's breadwinner, Aadite cannot attend the programs run by 'Chingari Trust Rehabilitation Centre', one of two vital medical institutions funded by 'The Bhopal Medical Appeal'. Lakshmi, 29, works six days a week as a cleaner, and Aadite is looked after by his two sisters Mayuri, 13, Mahag, 8, and his younger brother Anuj, 6. None of the siblings in this family are attending school or any kind of practical education.
    023_Bhopal_Second_Disaster.JPG
  • Rashid Ali, 35, a '1984 Gas Survivor', is talking on a mobile phone while hugging his disabled son Rahil Ali, 7, a boy affected by lissencephaly, inside their home in Bhopal, central India, near the abandoned Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) industrial complex. Rahil lives with his father and deaf grandmother in a small, single room rented within a larger house. Due to the hardship and stigma associated to birth defects in India, in 2009 Rahil's mother left the family.
    024_Bhopal_Second_Disaster.JPG
  • At dawn, a woman is standing by the railway tracks in New Arif Nagar, one of the water-contaminated colonies standing next to the abandoned Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) industrial complex in Bhopal, central India, site of the infamous '1984 Gas Disaster'.  The poisonous cloud that enveloped Bhopal left everlasting consequences that today continue to consume people's lives.
    025_Bhopal_Second_Disaster.JPG
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