WASHINGTON (AFP)--Three victims of the 1984 gas leak that killed
thousands of people in Bhopal, India, took their battle Thursday to
the U.S. Congress, seeking pressure on Dow Chemical Co. (DOW).
Three Bhopal residents spent the week lobbying lawmakers, urging
them to hold a hearing on the world's deadliest industrial
accident, ahead of its 25th anniversary in December.
"Dow is not listening to the Indian government; Dow is not
listening to us. The only choice that leaves us is to come to their
land and tell people what they continue to do," said activist
Rachna Dhingra.
The disaster occurred when a storage tank at a pesticide plant
run by Union Carbide - bought by Dow in 1999 - spewed cyanide gas
into the air, immediately killing more than 3,500 slum
dwellers.
The death toll has since climbed to more than 15,000, according
to Indian authorities. But activists say the toll is twice that,
and that tens of thousands more are chronically ill due to toxic
water and leftover chemicals.
Sarita Malviya, 16, who met with the legislators, said the skin
on her hands peels off every four to five weeks, leaving her hands
feeling ice cold. She said her mother suffers breathlessness and
her father has eye problems.
"We want justice in Bhopal because that would mean justice for
everyone. It would mean that even after 25 years, companies can be
held accountable," she said.
Dow says all liabilities were settled in 1989 when Union Carbide
paid $470 million to the Indian government, to be allocated to
survivors and families of the dead, and that it no longer operates
the site.
But campaigners say the amount is too low and does not account
for clean-up and continued health problems in Bhopal. They also
want Dow to submit to court challenges in India.
Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., who met with the Bhopal residents,
has circulated a letter in Congress calling for pressure on
Dow.
"It is unacceptable to allow an American company the opportunity
to exploit international borders and legal jurisdictions so that
they can evade civil and criminal liability for environmental
pollution and abuses committed overseas," Pallone wrote.
The campaigners are also traveling to other U.S. cities urging
local governments to divest from Dow.
-Dow Jones Newswires, 201-938-5500
