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November 10, 4 PM
Indian Embassy
2107 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington D.C.
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Background

The Madhya Pradesh (MP) State Government in India has failed to
implement a May 2004 Supreme Court directive instructing it to
provide clean piped water to the 14 communities currently forced to
consume water contaminated with poisons from Union Carbides abandoned
factory.

The whole affair reeks of yet another scam at the expense of the
Bhopal victims. While the Government claims to be supplying 360,000
litres of water per day, the actual supply in August 2004 was a
little over 42,000 litres per day, according to data collected by the
International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal.

Mercury, chlorobenzenes and naphthalene are some of the deadly
chemicals that were found at dangerous levels in the groundwater.
Nearly 20,000 people, including gas victims and people who moved into
the area after the disaster, are currently drinking this water
because the Madhya Pradesh Government has failed to provide them with
clean water. Already, reports indicate that the contamination may be
causing an increased incidence of abdominal pain, giddiness, anemia,
growth retardation among children, birth defects and skin problems
among the 20,000 people exposed to the poisoned water.

Organized by the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal and the
Association for Indias Development. For more information visit
www.bhopal.net or contact Diana Ruiz.

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Diana Ruiz
US Coordinator of the Bhopal Campaign and Dow Accountability Project
415 981-6205 ext 321
415 999-9074 Cell
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The Bhopal Gas Tragedy -- 20 Years Later, A Continuing Disaster