The date September 11th has gone down in history as one that changed the world. Of course, it was a milestone date that symbolically separated one world era from another. Yet it is not the only date that we should consider pivotal in our total view of the world. Twenty years ago another event happened that should be also fixed on our memory. Twenty years ago saw the tragedy at Bhopal. Amnesty International has published a reminder of this on their website and they say,
More than 7,000 people died within a matter of days when toxic gases leaked from a chemical plant in Bhopal, India on the night of 2/3 December 1984. Over the last 20 years exposure to the toxins has resulted in the deaths of a further 15,000 people as well as chronic and debilitating illnesses for thousands of others for which treatment is largely ineffective.
The disaster shocked the world and raised fundamental questions about government and corporate responsibility for industrial accidents that devastate human life and local environments. Yet 20 years later, the survivors still await just compensation, adequate medical assistance and treatment, and comprehensive economic and social rehabilitation. The plant site, has still not been cleaned up. As a result, toxic wastes continue to pollute the environment and contaminate water that surrounding communities rely on.
Unfortunately no major country decided to gather a coalition of the willing to tackle the human tragedy arising from this disaster – and no concerted action took place to tackle the grimy relationship between corporations and the devastation of human life and local environments. And yet more people died as a result of this tragedy than died on September 11th and many are still dying. Little wonder, many in the developing world question the integrity of the West and our vain proclamations of moral rectitude.
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