Delhi s Chemical Monster


Delhi's Chemical Monster Ashish Kothari A MASSIVE gas leak took place in Den!' on the morning of December 4,1985. Several hundred, perhaps several thousand of people were injured by the leak, three of whom have by now succumbed to their injuries. Coming as it did on the morning after the first 'anniversary' of the Bhopal disaster, the leak was yet another grim reminder of the dangers posed by chemical industries all over India. And though vastly different in magnitude, the Delhi leak told the same sordid story that was narrated in the case of Bhopal: the total absence of social responsibility on part of an industrial company, the indifference of the authorities to public safety, the lack of any system of emergency health and safety measures, the attempts at covering up the people and agencies exposed by the leak. And once again, it was a tragedy which was entirely avoidable, which in fact could have been avoided if the warnings of some individuals and organisations had been heeded.