The magazine of the art-form of the photo-essay
July 2016 back issue
by Alex Masi
“A free, really high quality photo-essay magazine. Fabulous!”
Stephen Fry. British actor, writer and film & documentary maker
Thirty years after the catastrophic ‘1984 Gas Disaster’, caused by the
American corporation Union Carbide in Bhopal, central India, around
100,000 people in the city are still suffering from various illnesses as a
result of the leak’s poisonous legacy, and due to the company’s
indiscriminate dumping of hazardous waste.
Bhopal is yet not at peace.
Three decades after the infamous ‘1984 Gas Disaster’, caused by the
negligence of the American corporation Union Carbide, numerous families
are still trapped within the nightmare that began on a grim, distant night.
Half a million people living in the capital of Madhya Pradesh were exposed to the toxic cloud released by the chemical
plant, while all safety mechanisms failed to work. Thousands died it its wake. Since then, in the consciousness of
people the world over, Bhopal has been associated with the haunting images of that night and its aftermath, tragic
demonstrations of the dangers and failures of unregulated industrialization.
Today, Union Carbide’s hazardous legacy is affecting the health of those who lived on: approximately 100,000 people
are chronically ill from the continued effects of the leak, while tainted drinking water has caused a sharp increase in
birth defects and severe disabilities in children.
Buried around the abandoned complex, the waste dumped by Union Carbide has been penetrating underground
aquifers, with samples as far as three kilometers from the plant showing harmful levels of pesticides, organochlorines
and heavy metals.
Following the staggering 11.6 billion dollars acquisition of Union Carbide by DOW Chemical in 2001, the mighty
corporation has single-handedly refused to accept any responsibility for the insidious contamination of Bhopal.
Salman, 13, a boy suffering from a severe neurological disorder and blindness, 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.
Dark clouds are raising over the abandoned Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) industrial complex in Bhopal, site of
the infamous '1984 Gas Disaster'. The poisonous cloud that enveloped Bhopal left everlasting consequences that
today continue to consume people's lives.
Poonam, 6, is revelling in the heavy monsoon rain in Oriya Basti, one of the water-affected colonies near the
abandoned Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) industrial complex in Bhopal. When the monsoon rain falls every year,
it seeps through the buried waste of Union Carbide, before proceeding to pollute the area's underground water
reservoirs.
Zubin, 3, a severely disabled girl, 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. The poisonous cloud that
enveloped Bhopal left everlasting consequences that today continue to consume people's lives. Zubin has deceased.
A mother drying her sweat while sitting with her son on the floor of Chingari Trust Rehabilitation Centre, a local
organisation caring for disabled children in Bhopal, near the abandoned Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) industrial
complex.
Two boys 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.
A woman's hand decorated with henna is touching the red brick wall, during a community meeting organised by the
Bhopal Medical Appeal near the abandoned Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) factory in Bhopal.
Sachin, 14, a child with a severe physical disorder affecting his bone structure and legs, entering his home in the
impoverished Oriya Basti Colony in Bhopal, near the abandoned Union Carbide (DOW Chemical) industrial complex.
Mohammed Mohsin, 14, a boy suffering from a severe case of cerebral palsy is being fed water by his mother inside a
public hospital in Bhopal, near the abandoned Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) industrial complex.
A boy passing through Arif Nagar, one of the water-affected colonies surrounding the abandoned Union Carbide (now
DOW Chemical) industrial complex in Bhopal.
Children playing on a cart, while crossing a small flooded road in Oriya Basti, Bhopal, a water-affected colony located
near the former Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) industrial complex.
Tasleen, 26, the mother of Zubin, 3, a severely disabled girl, soothing her suffering daughter inside their home in one
of the water-affected colonies near the abandoned Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) industrial complex in Bhopal.
Zubin is now deceased.
The contorted legs of Faizan, 14, are a clear example of the dangers faced by the children and their families living in
Arif Nagar, one of the many impoverished colonies of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, located dangerously near the
abandoned Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) industrial complex. Faizan has recently deceased.
A girl playing with a red ball during celebrations for the Dussehra Festival in Bhopal.
Children suffering from various disorders exercising with a therapist (right) inside Chingari Trust Rehabilitation Centre,
a local NGO caring for disabled children near the abandoned Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) industrial complex.
Rachna, 8, (right) a girl suffering from a severe neurological disorder, riding the Chingari Trust Rehabilitation Centre's
bus with her sister, Reena, 12, near the abandoned Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) industrial complex in Bhopal.
Indians observing the firework display during celebrations for the Dussehra Festival in Bhopal.
Faizan, 14, is sitting inside his home in Arif Nagar, one of the water-affected colonies standing next to the abandoned
Union Carbide (now DOW Chemical) industrial complex in Bhopal. Faizan has deceased.
