Bhopal gas tragedy`s watery trail to tell a story

THE OTHER INDIA

People living around the Union Carbide plant site here have two options when it comes to drinking water. Either it is the contaminated groundwater, which continues to be affected by toxic wastes dumped in the plant premises, or the municipal water supplied from the nearby Raslakhedi village, known for a huge sewer. The water from both sources has been officially declared unfit for drinking.

Nasiruddin, a resident of Bluemoon Colony in the city, rues his decision of migrating from the nearby Raisen district to Bhopal 28 years ago to work as a labourer. He and his family members are among the 25,000 families in the area suffering from various gastro-ailments. The doctors blame it on water contamination.

These people have been living close to a toxic solar evaporation pond of the now-closed plant of Union Carbide India Ltd.

There are some 8,000-9,000 tonnes of toxic wastes dumped in the premises of the plant which are awaiting disposal. These are said to be the source of chemical contamination of the groundwater in the area.

The Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) stopped supply of water through 96 tanks in 14 localities after people complained of health problems.

The residents were soon offered another option: supply of water from a nearby location in Raslakhedi village, also the site of a major sewage canal. However, a report of the State Pollution Control Board says this water is not suitable for drinking according to the Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) specifications.

The water has not been tested by the authorities since last year. Another startling fact is that the BMC commissioner is ignorant of the source of water supply (Raslakhedi), its location and the contamination limit of the water.

As expected, a blame game is on between the BMC and the Bhopal Gas Relief and Rehabilitation Department. The department says it is following the court guidelines and working as a nodal agency, while the BMC says it is the department