India: Clouds of Uncertainty

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For Bhopal and Union Carbide, the tragedy continues

The Union Carbide pesticide plant in the central Indian city of Bhopal looked as if it were being prepared for a war. All day long, giant Indian Air Force MI-8 helicopters swooped down into the area, while special Indian Army units trained in chemical warfare were airlifted to the local airport and positioned within the 72-acre compound. Around the city, more than 2,000 paramilitary troops and armed police officers were moved in to lend emergency assistance. Meanwhile, thousands of civilians were fleeing the city.

A week after 45 tons of methyl isocyanate leaked out of the plant, leaving more than 2,500 people dead in the worst industrial disaster ever, the facility was preparing to resume operations temporarily. About 15 tons of the deadly chemical still remained in storage tank No. 619. If it were allowed to stay there indefinitely, it could turn into gas and start leaking again. After much deliberation, a team of top Indian and American scientists decided that the safest solution was to reopen the facility for five days or so, just long enough to process the excess methyl isocyanate into pesticide. As thin trails of black smoke once again began to curl out of the plant's smokestacks, 30 workers walked past the paramilitary forces guarding the main gate and reported back to work.

While Bhopal was full of frantic activity, an air of funereal quiet hung over Union Carbide's sprawling headquarters in Danbury, Conn. Flags were flying at half-mast; Christmas parties had been canceled. "Nobody is feeling very festive around here," said a company official. Indeed, the survivors of the tragedy and those being accused of responsibility for it were distinctly hard pressed last week. Both groups remained haunted by the prospect of delayed repercussions: the 200,000 residents of Bhopal who had inhaled the gas faced lingering fears and possible long-term medical effects, while Union Carbide had to face the complex financial and legal fallout from the disaster. Even as the Indian Central Bureau of Investigation set into motion its official inquiry, U.S. lawyers descended on the stricken city to help its residents file multibillion-dollar lawsuits against Union Carbide (see box).

As the countdown to the factory's reopening continued, state officials took drastic precautions to prevent a recurrence of the fatal leak. Throughout the detoxification process, which was to be undertaken only during daylight hours, a helicopter was to circle 200 ft. above the plant. At even the slightest sign of a gas escape, the pilot, protected by a special oxygen mask, would release up to 317 gal. of water to degrade the lethal chemical. If more water were needed, two more helicopters would come to the rescue. All around the facility, blinking lights were set up to help guide the pilots, and the army was to be kept on alert. To dramatize his confidence in the safety of the operation, Arjun Singh, chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, vowed to remain inside the plant for the duration of the process, and to post his senior advisers just outside.