Page 1 - LN- Std 8 - civics - Chap 7 - Subtopic - 2

SAI INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
VIRTUAL LEARNING MODULE 28 (10.2), 2020 – 21
Subject – Civics
Chapter – 10: LAW AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Class – VIII
Sub topic 2: Bhopal Gas Tragedy

Notes

NOTES

Pages: 124, 125, 126, 127

Bhopal Gas Tragedy -:

 The World worst industrial tragedy took place in Bhopal on 2 December
nd
1984. Union Carbide (UC) an American company has a factory in Bhopal in

which it produced pesticides. At mid night on 2 December methyl –
nd
isocyanate (MIC) a highly poisonous gas started leaking from the UC plant.

 Within 3 days more than 8,000 of people were dead and hundreds and

thousands maimed.
 Most of those exposed to the poisonous gas came from poor working class

families.

 Of this even today there are nearly 50,000 people who are still sick. They
developed severe respiratory disorders, eye problems and other disorders.

Children developed peculiar abnormalities.
 The disaster was not an accident – The UC had deliberately ignored safety

measures in order to cut costs.

 Evidence that Union Carbide was responsible for the disaster yet it
refused to accept responsibility.

 In the ensuring legal battle the government represented the victims in a civil

case against Union Carbide. It filed a 3 billion Dollar cash as compensation in
1985 but accepted a lawly 470 million Dollars in 1989.

 Survivors appealed again but the Supreme Court ruled that the amount would

stand.