1st July 1999 |
Tim Edwards, of the charity Bhopal Medical Appeal, set off on his mammoth solo cycle trek, going from Brighton (UK) to the Indian city of Bhopal, capital of Madya Pradesh state. The journey (more than 6,000 miles in length) is a response to the forgotten plight of survivors of the world's worst industrial disaster, the project is called Lifecycle. He set off for India on July 1st. Mr. Satinath Sarangi, a 15 year long Bhopal relief worker and campaigner, was guest of honour at the send off. Mr Edwards seeks to raise awareness of the ongoing tragedy of the 1984 Bhopal disaster: " the fact that fourteen years on the chronic medical, economic and social needs of survivors remain virtually unaddressed." But the chief purpose of the trek is to raise desperately needed money for a unique community clinic in Bhopal which treats survivors of the disaster without charge. " When news of Bhopal broke the entire world shared in the grief of the victims; but nowadays little is known about the continuing aftermath. It's commonly assumed that Bhopal was a single tragedy, that modern medicine healed the sick, and that the U.S. company Union Carbide compensated its victims fairly. The truth is very different; a growing history of deformed births, worsening illness, ongoing deaths, poverty and neglect. Bhopal is the largest industrial accident in world history, bigger even than Chernobyl, and yet fifteen years on it remains an unprecedented example of monstrous injustice for those affected. Carbide, one of the world's richest corporations, is responsible for poisoning half a million innocent people; for killing upwards of 16, 000 victims and destroying the health, for the rest of their lives, of some 100, 000 others - but it still hasn't properly answered for its actions in a court of law. Compensation given, where received, hasn't even covered survivors' medical bills. It is an international outrage; but also a frightening indicator of the unregulated power that multinational companies now hold over human rights." Mr Sarangi, who has been working with survivors in Bhopal since the day of the gas leak, insists the Bhopal disaster is an international issue, not simply an Indian one. "We all exist in the culture of economically dictated ethics which made Bhopal not a possiblity but a near certainty. Every one of us lives too close to industries which, because of the relentless logic of the bottom line, are hazardous both inherently and operationally." In an echo of the Czech writer Milan Kundera, he adds "The struggle for Bhopal campaigners is one of memory against forgetting. As long as Bhopal is forgotten, industrial murder is condoned and similar abuses of power are more easily repeated." Mr Edwards will have to travel through twelve countries, arriving in Bhopal on the fifteenth anniversary date of the disaster, December 2nd. Negotiating some of the stages, such as Turkey and Iran, and on through Pakistan, will be more dependent on socio-political events in the region. Nevertheless, he is confident that the humanitarian purpose of the trek will keep him going on: "The Bhopali people's suffering has been unimaginable. Breathlessness, persistent cough, abdominal pain, joint ache, early age cataract, poor immunity, menstrual irregularities, recurrent fever, neurological disorders, fatigue, weakness, anxiety and depression are all common symptoms among survivors today. But, without their health, their loved ones and often their livelihoods, the survivors struggle on day after day for the right to live a dignified and disease free life. In such a situation their fight against injustice is truly inspiring. I only hope that my trek can help represent this struggle; approaching the 15th anniversary, every mile cycled equals a whole day spent living with the aftermath of that terrible night, and over a hundred people poisoned; an estimated 10 to 15 people still die every month from the gas - every quarter mile, from the South Coast of England to central India, represents another innocent murdered by it." At the time of the disaster, nobody under the age of 18 was allowed to be registered for compensation. Mr Sarangi claims that some of the horrible effects brought upon children are only just coming to light: "Young women who had been exposed at infancy have chaotic and painful menstrual cycles on attaining puberty. Many have three to four cycles in a month and there are those as old as seventeen and eighteen who have yet to have their periods. Gas affected parents have difficulty finding boys who will marry their daughters. Many women have been deserted by their husbands because of damages to reproductive health. They are the 'hibakushas' of Bhopal - the Hiroshima of the Chemical Industry." The Sambhavna Community clinic, responsible for pioneering medical and health work in the city, will be the sole beneficiary of the ride. The clinic was set up in 1995 by money raised from British people through the Bhopal Medical Appeal, begun in late 1994. The Appeal itself was a response to urgent recommendations made by an International Medical Commission which visited Bhopal earlier that same year. "Sambhavna needs just 200, 000 to survive for the next ten years, a tiny sum allowing for the relief it has shown it can provide. The clinic's work is in the worst affected communities amongst the poorest people in Bhopal; I couldn't even begin to do justice to the value of it. I hope though that I can at least communicate enough of it to secure sponsorship and donations". |
