Beauty Getting Beastly
Bhopal is called ‘the city of lakes’ as it is home to seven such water bodies. Bhopal has always been known for its beauty and cleanliness but it’s questionable if that’s even remotely true now. According to the weather channel Bhopal has drying lakes and falling groundwater levels. The article mentions the water level of Bada talab, the city’s biggest lake, is falling due to blocked rivers and feeder lines in the catchment area. Bhopal even has a long history of battling toxic pollutants with the highlight of ‘Bhopal gas tragedy’ in 1984 whose victims still suffer due to the after effects.
It all started between 1969 and 1977 when the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal started dumping waste and by-products around the factory site. Then in 1977 three Solar Evaporation Ponds were built where tonnes of toxic waste were dumped. In the rainy season the ponds would overflow contaminating large areas including the open sewage drains. This continued to happen leading to death of cattle and increasing toxicity until finally disaster struck in 1984.
The article “1969–1979: Union Carbide Enters Bhopal’’ talks about how the American company Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) created an Indian subsidiary- Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL). They did this during the time food production was at its peak to gain profit due to increased pesticide demand. The article mentions how $28 million were needed for the factory but UCC only invested $20 million and saved the $8 million by not installing safety devices. The article even mentions how the company got past government restriction by producing MIC, an exclusive UCC specialty but used ‘unproven’ and inferior technology (compared to their US factory). The “dump” tanks and “sump” tanks to collect MIC runoff were also not built. Expanding on this Apoorva Mandavilli in the article “World’s Worst Industrial Disaster is Still Unfolding” says how sites of such industrial waste — in New Jersey, Missouri and Ohio- have been cleaned but not Bhopal. UCC , the current owner and the state government have all been passing on this responsibility (Apoorva). Apoorva mentions how Munni bi, a victim of the disaster, was diagnosed with bladder cancer after the disaster. Apoorva mentions how the locals blame the water for their diseases , they say “they have made us drink poison”. 22 communities expanding to 42 now have groundwater containing toxic levels of chlorinated solvents (Apoorva). UCC’s marketing slogan was “Science helps build a new India’’ and it is highly disturbing to see how they exploited the poor city to save $8 million. This savings cost a thousand people their health and left the groundwater contaminated till this date. What’s worse is they did not even have the industrial site cleaned.
Even today, the lakes are continue turning into dumping sites with sewage drains flowing into them and the catchment area is being encroached by slums. After poojas (religious ceremonies) all the idols made of toxic materials are submerged in these water bodies. All this has led to degradation of water quality and no water collection in the catchment area of lakes during monsoon season. And even though some problems have been acknowledged we have to think about the long term solutions, what they are and how to execute them.
The article ‘Sewage and filth leaves Upper Lake gasping’ in Times of India talks about these same problems with the ‘Upper Lake’, the main source of drinking water for 40% of Bhopal’s population. The author talks about lack of effective sewage treatment plants and open sewage lines draining into the Upper Lake. The author even points out decreasing transparency of water and increased weed infestation which are both signs of water degradation. Moreover, the western side of the lake now has undrinkable water due to industrial waste and agricultural chemical flow(the author). This article evidently points out the main issues with most Bhopal lakes in general. While resonating with this the article ‘Upper Lake clean-up begins, encroachment likely to be cleared’ in Times of India mentions the various actions that could help make the water of Upper Lake healthy again. It mentions an initiative started by the state minister and Bhopal mayor ahead of monsoon season to clean-up the catchment area allowing fresh rainwater to be collected but nothing happened. These articles show how no action has been taken, there is only talk about it.
However, saying nothing is being done is not entirely true. An editorial piece from Hindustan Times mentions about Bhopal Municipal orders to use eco friendly material for idols and even talks about separate water bodies created just for immersion. Moreover, a paper ‘Planning interventions for lake conservation’ talks extensively about artificial aeration projects in ‘Shahpura Lake’. Artificial aeration improves water quality by increasing dissolved oxygen levels in the water, especially the bottom. It reduces algae growth by removing its food — nitrogen, ammonia and soluble phosphates. The paper shows that the aeration units (as fountains) are effective in improving the water quality of a degraded water body. Even though everyone doesn’t abide by these rules, these sources indicate that small steps are being taken to improve water quality and water bodies are being monitored. None of this unfortunately is a long term solution.
Environmentalist Dr Subhash Pandey analysed 40 samples from various areas of Bhopal that seemed to have more bacteria than urine. This is very strange for a city which has been called the 2nd cleanest city in India for 2 years in a row. Pandey believes that maintenance is the issue but I feel education and knowledge is the bigger fish. When I read this article I was in shock and the other residents of Bhopal should be aware of this too. There are needs of workshops and more awareness articles in the news to create a buzz about the false happiness all Bhopal citizens are living under. Why would people of a city called the second cleanest be worried about their water being dirty, they would assume that cleanliness means what the word defines unless they are shown facts stating otherwise. This shadow of false happiness needs to be lifted.
Another city in India known for cleanliness is Bangalore whose local newspaper Bangalore Mirror has an article which talks about workshops mobilised by the Environment Support Group (ESG). These were held to build awareness about the importance of protecting the lakes for present and future generations. The article mentions how after the workshops local people quickly decided that their colony drainage system and government policies need to be looked into. Moreover, during India Water Week in January 2015, GWP(Global Water Partnership) held a one day training on Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM) with an objective of introducing it as an approach. The workshop saw high enthusiasm from the representatives of government, different institutions and partner organisations. Particular interest was expressed by Dr. Amarjith Singh (Secretary to the Ministry of Water Resources) to develop a programme on IUWM for India. It is good to read about workshops and changing views of people when I thought nothing was being done to reverse the water degradation problem. I now see that people are acknowledging the problem and organisations are creating awareness through workshops. Now we need to bring that trend into the smaller cities like Bhopal.
After reading all the articles I feel the key is getting the stakeholders(the powerful people of the state and water sector) worried and concerned as they have the power to push the government into taking action. No matter how much we do to increase oxygen levels, get chemicals out or treat the water we will not get to a permanent solution if the cause of all these problems is not addressed. Here, the government has the authority to set up regulations and have control of the underground water planning, state municipal and town planners. Addressing this includes redirecting the sewages and preventing the agricultural and industrial water from flowing into the lakes for which this authority and
One prospective solution can be giving directions and funding to city municipalities for them to set up sewage treatment plants in certain areas of the city. This will allow water to be treated before it flows into lakes, saving the cost of redesigning the sewage channels. This is already being done at a small scale in few private schools of the city, proving that it is an effective process. Moreover, the aeration projects are currently only set up in three lakes out of the seven, but the government can fund and instruct more of the same projects to be set up. This along with stopping untreated sewage from flowing into lakes will do a pretty good job of getting us closer to reviving the lakes to their former glory.
Unfortunately, the projects that the government execute can only be successful if the private industries control their waste or treat it before it drains and if farmers understand the ill-effects of their fertilisers and prevent their flow into waterways. Primarily, industry is a section where there is a need for change of government policies which includes making the rules regarding outflow from factories strict. And to ensure that regular inspections and heavy fines are set up. Additionally, where the farmers are concerned all the sarpanch (heads of the villages) can be given instructions by the central government on how the chemical fertiliser use can be made efficient. This delegation process can prove to be very effective in dealing with agricultural water flow and prevention of eutrophication.
However, there is another step that needs to be taken to ensure that the government executes the solutions and sees it through the end. That step is making the people aware about water contamination, its quality degradation and its toxicity. One way to achieve this is re-educating people in ways that suit their understanding. The private industry owners need to be shown the economic benefits of creating an efficient and clean drainage system like fewer workers getting ill or zero potential fine from the government. The general public needs to be shown actual facts, like Dr. Pandey’s analysis results, and be informed of the ill effects of contamination on their health and on the well being of the generations to come. And the farmers should be educated about how their yield could increase with efficient fertiliser use and cost be saved or how organic yields can get them a better price in the market.
The collective ultimate goal should be to reach a point where fountains are only part of decor not an aeration project. This will surely happen if the residents can’t be fooled because they are well informed, the farmers use fertilisers to minimise runoff as they have been educated and the industries treat their waste before discharging it in the sewage as they know the economics work better that way.
This water contamination problem is not something Bhopal alone is going through. There are several places all over the globe including developed nations who face waste management and sewage flow issues. However there are few who have been able to manage their water with great efficiency. Singapore tops this list, who despite being a chemical industry hub has managed to maintain the water quality levels to standards set by WHO. Now you might think that Singapore is a developed country so it is easier for them. Firstly they weren’t always developed, secondly it is one of the largest oil refining centres and thirdly it is a hub for chemical, pharmaceutical and electronic industry all of which generate the most toxic waste.
According to Chemanager’s article ‘growing chemical centre’, Singapore started off struggling to manage their waste but then in 1992 the Green Plan for Environmental Protection and Improvement was set. This was formulated by government agencies, ministries, private sector groups and even members of the public. It was even updated in 2002 and 2005 to maintain its relevance for the city-state, the article says. According to me this is critical as it is very easy to formulate plans for a city and various governments do so but what ensures a plan’s efficiency is the updates you make as times change. Apart from updates Singapore was able to address the main stakeholder- the public. During the years the government has realised the importance of public involvement and have set strategies accordingly. According to Chemanager these included massive awareness programmes and social campaigns followed by educational campaigns to make people take onus for the limited water resources and act responsibly.
Cecilia Tortajada in her article “Singapore’s Water success and lessons for the region” talks about how public education is one of the key pillars of water management strategy. Water conservation is part of the syllabus in primary school as well as a part of education programmes for foreign construction workers and domestic help (Cecilia). ‘The Public Utilities Board (PUB) works closely with schools and the Ministry of Education to educate and excite students on water related topics’ says Cecilia. As an example for this the article “Making their Mark in Water Conservation and Education” talks about Bender primary schools. It tells how the school’s canteen vendors get a crash course on the importance of water and are instructed to look out for leaks or wastage of water. The article even mentions that the teachers hold discussions on negative effects of water pollution on the environment and ways to keep Singapore’s rivers clean. The kids then design posters and banners to spread environmental awareness. In my opinion this is the best way to educate the public, who better to make them understand than their own kids. The children grow up understanding the importance of water, keep it clean and conserving it. Moreover workers especially foreign who are unaware of Singapore’s policy are educated which helps in maintaining the water quality and avoiding pollution.
Cities in Bhopal are in dire need of educational campaigns as knowledge and correct information can direct anyone to the right path. According to an information article on tandfonline, Singapore has a Water Catchment Policy which states only 34.1% of catchment land can be developed. Now we live in a global world where we can learn how cities around the globe have dealt with issues we are failing with and try their methods. Now I am not saying that the same policies will work everywhere but the idea would, once it’s modified in ways suited to the location at hand. For instance Bhopal has an encroachment issue which can be solved with a policy similar to Water Catchment policy of Singapore but would have to be accompanied with an education drive as lack of education is the key issue here.
Seeing a well managed city with clear cut rules and regulations would make any responsible and aware citizen happy. That gives us our first step- forming aware citizens. Another critical aspect we get from Singapore is updating the policies and regulations as parameters and circumstances keep changing. We have to look at Singapore as an example and implement regulations tailored to our city/state.
However, it is not always this simple specially for many developing nations which are hubs for factories of companies all over the globe. We are well aware that manufacturing plants are often set up in places like India and China as its cheaper and labour is readily available. The Union Carbide Corporation being a clear example of the same. What we fail to think about is whose responsibility are those factories, more particularly who is responsible for the waste that it produces. We are a global world so shouldn’t the companies take onus of the waste that products for their benefit produce ? or are the people who agreed to work for the factory or set it up take the responsibility?
Carina Millstone, executive director at food waste campaign group says “big companies have figured out it’s cheaper to manufacture shoes elsewhere, taking advantage of lax environmental regulations, poor resource use and relative cost of labour”. This is true as developing nations have loopholes in their policies along with no strict regulation and on top of that abundant labour which makes them a magnet for factory setups. Few might think that there is nothing wrong with it as the benefits are mutual- the company gets their products and the labour gets money and employment. Unfortunately, there is further misuse of developing nations. Let us take the electronic waste situation globally as an example.
According to Nature News rich nations which have strict rules send most of their e-waste to developing countries. This makes sense as such countries like China and India have inefficient legislation which makes them a great dumping site. Nature News even mentioned the Basel Convention of the United Nations which was formulated concerning the movement of hazardous waste across borders. However, only 87 parties — not the United States- have ratified it. Such conventions are needed as India, for instance, doesn’t have laws to ban this movement which results in more than 50,000 tonnes of such waste being dumped on its land. The e-waste is transported as ‘used electronics’ to the developing nations and most of the products being manufactured in these nations which worsens their situation (Nature News). In my view developed nations should be helping out the poor ones and not exploiting their weak laws and using it to their advantage.
All this brings me to the point that when we thought only the uneducated needed educating, now the educated also need re-educating. When truck loads of trash is dumped in a place what the people don’t think is that no measurements are taken to process it. All the chemicals and toxics just flow into the streams or seep into the underground water. And this is where the whole problem lies- water contamination increases. However, in this situation the foreign companies are at fault. My point is while we ourselves need to amend regulations, educate our people and realign our ways the world also needs to do the same. As it is, places like Bhopal have trouble treating contaminated water, becoming a dumping site of some big company doesn’t help that.
In conclusion, we should learn from what policies worked for other nations and take help from that to formulate our own. While doing so, as time passes they need to be updated with the changing surrounding situation. Along with updating regulations, the residents as well should be updated and educated through workshops or articles or news so that the working of the policy is smooth and ensured. However, at the end of the day we not only have to be responsible citizens of our nations but also of the world. The developed nations need to realise how they are worsening the already bad situation of poorer nations and help them out. Taking onus, taking responsibility and forming aware citizens is the way through our water contamination problem and for that matter any other issues that we face.
Works Cited
1980–1984: The Lead up to Disaster: https://www.bhopal.net/what-happened/setting-the-stage-for- tragedy-1969–1984/1980–1984-the-lead-up-to-disaster/
Making Their Mark in Water Conservation and Education, 17 November 2011: https:// www.schoolbag.edu.sg/story/making-their-mark-in-water-conservation-and-education
Singapore’s Water success and lessons for the region, Cecilia Tortajada, 1 August 2018: https:// lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/gia/article/singapore-s-water-success-and-lessons-for-the-region
The World’s Worst Industrial Disaster Is Still Unfolding, Apoorva Mandavilli, 10 July 2018: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/07/the-worlds-worst-industrial-disaster-is-still-unfolding/560726/
Growing Chemical Centre, 19 November 2014: https://www.chemanager-online.com/en/topics/management/growing-chemical-center-asia
Keeping Our Water Clean: https://www.nea.gov.sg/our-services/pollution-control/water-quality/keeping-our-water-clean
Take responsibility for electronic-waste disposal, Zhaohua Wang, Bin Zhang & Dabo Guan, 3 August 2016: https://www.nature.com/news/take-responsibility-for-electronic-waste-disposal-1.20345
Bhopal Grapples with Falling Water Quality and Quantity, Deekshith Nevil Pinto, 15 July 2019: https://weather.com/en-IN/india/pollution/news/2019-07-15-bhopal-grapples-falling-water-quality-quantity-pollution
Water quality management in Singapore: the role of institutions, laws and regulations, 20 August 2015: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02626667.2014.942664
