downtoearth-subscribe

An alternative plan

The road map prepared by the ngos calls for a review of all scientific studies conducted at the Bhopal site since 1989. The threats the waste poses to workers, local residents and the environment have to be assessed first, it says. The liabilities of damages caused to workers, residents and environment have to be fixed. This includes judicial action against the consultants and agencies that had used unscientific procedures to measure the effects, and officials and ministers who neglected medical care for people affected by polluted soil and water.

According to the activists, strategies have to be identified to deal with the contaminated soil and the plant. The government can seek technical help from the United Nations Environment Programme for the disposal of the persistent organic pollutants. The waste and contaminated soil have to be kept in suitably labelled containers. Tanks with monitoring systems have to be built within the factory premises, say the activists.

Related Content