Bhopal, April 26 -- Nearly 40 years after the Bhopal gas disaster, clean water remains a distant pipedream for residents in 42 neighbourhoods near the Union Carbide factory, despite Supreme Court orders.
On Friday, Bhopal District Legal Services Authority secretary Sunit Agrawal led an inspection of 19 neighbourhoods. The visit came in pursuance of Supreme Court orders dated August 30, 2018.
In 2004, the apex court had ordered piped clean water for 14 settlements after groundwater contamination by heavy metals, pesticides, and persistent organic pollutants was confirmed near the factory.
A 2012 report found eight more localities contaminated. By 2018, 20 additional settlements had tainted groundwater, prompting the court to expand orders...