Four groups representing Bhopal gas tragedy survivors allege sewage-contaminated water supply

Bhopal: Four organisations representing survivors of the Bhopal gas tragedy on Friday claimed the civic body in the Madhya Pradesh capital was supplying sewage-contaminated drinking water to residential areas around the abandoned Union Carbide factory.

They drew parallels with Indore's Bhagirathpura locality, where contaminated water supply led to 22 deaths in December last year.

Addressing a press conference here, the organisations released a report claiming 43 of the 63 piped drinking water samples collected from 30 localities this month tested positive for faecal coliform, indicating sewage contamination.


The organisations represent survivors of the December 1984 Union Carbide gas leak, one of the world's worst industrial disasters that claimed 5,479 lives.

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Nawab Khan, president of Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha, claimed faecal contamination was detected in drinking water supplied to 19 of the 30 localities surveyed.

He alleged that 90 per cent of water samples supplied from the Upper Lake and 25 per cent of those sourced from the Kolar dam tested positive for faecal contamination.

Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh president Rashida Bee said residents of settlements around the abandoned factory were suffering from water-borne diseases, with families reporting diarrhoea and vomiting, while private clinics were witnessing a large number of typhoid cases.

She said the Supreme Court had, in 2004, directed authorities to supply piped drinking water to these localities after being informed that groundwater had been contaminated by toxic chemicals and heavy metals allegedly from hazardous waste dumped at the factory site.

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Balkrishna Namdeo, president of Bhopal Gas Peedit Nirashrit Pensionbhogi Sangharsh Morcha, said the Supreme Court had, in August 2018, directed the BMC to lay sewer lines and ensure proper drainage in the area after complaints of faecal contamination in piped water.

"The BMC had assured the court that the work would be completed within three months, but nothing has been done over the past eight years," he alleged.

Rachna Dhingra of the Bhopal Group for Information and Action demanded action against officials allegedly responsible for supplying contaminated drinking water and sought time-bound implementation of the sewerage and drainage project along with an independent mechanism to monitor drinking water quality.

Bhopal Municipal Corporation Water Works City Engineer Udit Garg could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.