Overview of Bhopal Disaster Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Overview of Bhopal Disaster - Essay Example The number of deaths and injured people however did not stop during the release of MIC in the atmosphere but continued to kill Bhopal residents for months that followed that the Indian government reported to its Parliament that the tragedy has taken 1,430 lives in just four months. By 1991, the number of people in Bhopal who died from the tragedy reached more than 3,800 and the number of people who contracted disability reached approximately 11,000 (Jackson 1983). Later investigation showed that the disaster was caused by a disgruntled plant employee who poured water into a batch of batch of methyl isocyanate in a storage tank. The water caused chemical reaction to the effect that it created heat and pressure in the tank. These chemical reaction in tank forced the valve to open that forced the chemical to be released into the atmosphere where the chemical compound was transformed into a lethal gas that killed the nearby Bhopal residents (Union Carbide a 2013). This report was both confirmed by Union Carbide’s panel of experts as well as the Indian government. After the incident, the company who owned the plant, Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) sought permission from the government to clean up the area and this clean up drive extended until 1998. In this year (1998) UCIL was taken over by the Madhya Pradesh State Government, which owns and had been leasing the property to Eveready assumed responsibility of the facility and shouldered all accountability for the site (Bhopal.com c). After the disaster, UCIL provided around $2 to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund to help aid in the easing the tragedy and also brought in its own panel of experts and medical experts along with the medical equipment and supplies. The company also donated $5 million to the Indian Red Cross as a supplement to the initial donation. The company also shared its available information and study about methylisocyanate (MIC) with the Government of India to effectively respond to the ill effect of the chemical (Bhopal.com b).