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August 20, 2006
In the wake of communal tensions, Hindus, Muslims and Christians come together to feed the hungry in flood-stricken Bhopal
Unfortunately, some flood relief work in Bhopal has been divided along communal lines. Seva Bharati, the social work wing of the RSS, distributes food only to Hindus and keeps away from communities such as Shaheen Colony, Sundar Nagar and PGBT College where most people are Muslims.
Meanwhile a group run by Muslims has been distributing biryani [rice cooked with meat] which Hindus won't eat. This state of affairs began on the first day.
On the afternoon of the 14th residents of Rajgarh [a mixed community of Muslims and Hindus] organised a chakka jaam [blocking traffic] demanding medical care and monetary relief from the government.
A van carrying people from Seva Bharati attempted to cross the blockade and there was an altercation with the leader of the protesters who is himself a low caste Hindu.
The Seva Bharati people went back and roused their followers. About 1,000 of them came to Rajgarh Colony threatening violence. More than 100 were carrying swords. A large police force was present but they did nothing to stop those who were brandishing swords.
The tension diffused by early evening after the RSS followers were assured that police would take action against those who had stopped the Seva Bharati van. Since then about 15 residents of Rajgarh Colony, most of them Muslims, and their Hindu leader, have been arrested. Their families allege that some have been tortured in police custody. There is little doubt among the ordinary people that the arrests and torture have been ordered by higher-ups in the government that is run by the BJP hindu fundamentalist party.
Our teams came back around 4 pm and reported talking to about a hundred families who hadn't eaten for two days. Many of their houses were completely submerged and all were among the very poorest residents.
At 5 pm we decided to pool our resouces. The first donation of 500 rupees came from Faisal, the local BBC correspondent. Sathyu put in another 500 and Shahid said he would raise the rest from people in his neighbourhood.
Shahid's neighbours, who are all people with limited means, gave whatever they could. Mehra who runs a small store gave 25 kilos of wheat flour [aattaa]. Raju Bhai who runs a provision store gave another 25 kilos. Kaka who has a small store gave 5 kilos of oil. Maliram who runs the store next to Kaka's gave 10 kilos of aataa.
Saleem Bhai, Ram Singh and Sharad each donated 50 rupees. Shahid's aunt Akhtar Bee went out and bought 400 rupees worth of vegetables.
A Mr Gupta, who owns a roadside restaurant, donated his stove for the evening. Pappu Verma who has a "tent house" [he rents out marquees, chairs and utensils for weddings and parties] gave his cooking vessels for free.
Cooking began in front of the offices of the survivors organisations at around 8 pm and before midnight there was potato curry and puris [deep fried bread] for 600 people.
The cooking was done by two professional cooks who gladly donated their time and skills.
Firdaus, Aftab Bee, Guddu Bhai, Afsar, Verma, Chetan, Mehfuz, Raja, Satish, David, Parvati, Narayan Sarathe – Hindus, Muslims and a Christian - all helped together in chopping and washing and packing the food into individual packets.
The food was carried on a three wheeler "loading auto" free of charge by Kailash. Leaders of survivors organizations Hazra Bee, Syed M Irfan, Mira, Shahid Noor and supporter Vikas worked hard and with the help of local young men and women distributed the packets of puris and aloo curry to the hungry people.
Posted by bhola at 09:22 PM | Comments (0)
Lalita Bai's story
Lalita Bai lives in Shakti Nagar with her husband Munnalal Kahar, their son Kallu Kahar and his children Santosh, Sunny, Sanju and Chhotu, and their daughter Rajjo and her three-month-old daughter Poonam.
Lalita Bai told her story to Aziza:
At around 4 early morning water came over the boundary wall of the factory gushing towards our houses. In no time there was five feet water inside our home. One of my neighbours carried me on his shoulder up onto his roof. Others in my family were also helped by neighbours.
65 year old Biniya Bai, Raj Bai and Pradip Singh Tomar [42] risked their lives helping people out of the water. My three-month-old granddaughter Poonam fell in to the water and was saved by our neighbours. They wrapped her in a blanket and put her in a dry place.
All our food grain is wet and wasted.
Posted by bhola at 09:21 PM | Comments (0)
Laxmi's story
Laxmi is 50 years old. She lives in Shakti Nagar with her husband,
Kalu Ram Raikwar [50], their sons Sunil [24], Shankar [22], Gagan [18]
and her daughter-in-law Bhagwati [19], wife of Sunil.
Laxmi told her story to Ritesh:
I had made daal and roti [bread] for dinner like every other day. We went to bed at around 10 PM. We did not know that some thing like
this could happen. My husband was the first to get up early next morning at around 4 AM. By then water had already risen to 3 feet inside the house. He woke all of us up.
We saw that water was flowing over the boundary wall of Union Carbide factory and coming towards our houses. we went up on the roof
of our neighbour. we saw large snakes coming out of cracks in the wall.
The water kept rising in the house. All our bedding and what ever grains we had - about two quintals - were submerged and wasted for ever. We have lost about ten thousand rupees.
We have not stopped itching all over our bodies ever since we
waded through the water. We also have eye infections, fever and colds. Many people in the basti have similar complaints and everyone has eye problems.
Posted by bhola at 09:20 PM | Comments (0)
Flooding relief work, August 19, 2006
Grain drying in Shakti Nagar. The grain had been inundated with water flowing from the flooded Union Carbide factory. Unable to afford to lose their small stores, desperate people washed the grain with water from taps to try to save it.
Three teams from the Sambhavna Trust Clinic today went out to deliver medical relief to different areas. Each team took with them water purifying tablets, medicines and health education pamphlets.
Observations from Shakti Nagar and Atal-Ayub Nagar
Aziza, Masarrat, Ritesh and Biju went to Shakti Nagar and Atal-Ayub Nagar.
They found people suffering from loose motions, vomiting, fever, body ache, and skin rashes and eruptions. The skin problems affect the parts of people's bodies that were under water. Most adults have skin eruptions on the lower half of their bodies, below the waist, for many children they reached to their necks.
In Shakti Nagar 35 houses next to the boundary wall of the Union Carbide factory were submerged and damaged. In Atal-Ayub Nagar there were 100 such houses. Government officials have distributed water puriying tablets here. Everyone had a story to tell about people helping each other and saving lives. Krishna Tomar [55], Pushpa Rathore [35] and Radha Bai [45] helped the team in distributing medicines and other stuff.
Observations from Shaaheen Colony and Sundar Nagar
Tasneem, Anand, Jyoti and Brian went to Sundar Nagar and Shaaheen Colony.
The team placed themselves in 5 different spots in these bastis and, with active help from local teenage boys, distributed medicines, pamphlets, water purifying tablets and medical advice. Officials had done a cursory survey but left out quite a few houses. No medicines had been distributed by government officials. People complain of itching, cold, hoarseness of voice, chest pain and body ache.
Observations from Oriya Basti and Shankar Nagar
Mukesh, Shehanaz, Tabassum, S M Nasir and Adriane went to Oriya Basti and Shankar Nagar.
Here our team found three people from Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital distributing medicines. They were handing out, quite inappropriately, strong antibiotics for children in the form of amoxycillin and metronidazole suspensions, and potentially harmful pain killers such as sodium diclofenac. The main complaints being reported are itching and skin eruptions, fever, loose motions and abdominal pain. Whatever foodgrain people had in their homes is now wasted. People want food here and clothes becaue all they had is wet.
Donations of medicine
Mr Lalit Jain donated a box of medicines, Dr Goswani donated 5000 water purifying tablets each tablet good for 20 litres of water. Tomorrow our teams will visit the bastis that are most in need of medical care and other assistance.
Making a donation to help the flood relief work
Donations can be made online to the Bhopal Medical Appeal, which funds the work of the Sambhavna Trust Clinic, by clicking here now.
Please note, the Bhopal Medical Appeal is a project of the Pesticide Action Network, UK, and so the receipt on your credit card statement will say PESTICIDE ACTION NETWORK.
MORE PICTURES AND STORIES BELOW.
Posted by bhola at 10:35 AM | Comments (0)
Shakti Nagar
Sambhavna health workers distribute Ayurvedic medicines in Shakti Nagar.
Laxmi talking to Ritesh.
Grain drying in Shakti Nagar. The grain had been inundated with water flowing from the flooded Union Carbide factory. Unable to afford to lose their small stores, desperate people washed the grain with water from taps to try to save it.
Making a donation to help the flood relief work
Donations can be made online to the Bhopal Medical Appeal, which funds the work of the Sambhavna Trust Clinic, by clicking here now.
Please note, the Bhopal Medical Appeal is a project of the Pesticide Action Network, UK, and so the receipt on your credit card statement will say PESTICIDE ACTION NETWORK.
Posted by bhola at 10:32 AM | Comments (0)
Shankar Nagar and Oriya Basti
Pictures taken by Biju Kumar, Panchakarma therapist. Community health workers Aziza and Masarrat and Titesh visited the two bastis to distribute medicines, water purifying tablets and pamphlets.
Ritesh distributing oral rehydration salts
Aziza distributing medicine
Masarrat handing out health advisory pamphlets written and printed by Sambhavna the day before
Making a donation to help the flood relief work
Donations can be made online to the Bhopal Medical Appeal, which funds the work of the Sambhavna Trust Clinic, by clicking here now.
Please note, the Bhopal Medical Appeal is a project of the Pesticide Action Network, UK, and so the receipt on your credit card statement will say PESTICIDE ACTION NETWORK.
Posted by bhola at 10:08 AM | Comments (0)
Report on the flooding by Brian Mooney, a volunteer at the Sambhavna Trust Clinic in Bhopal
Last Monday morning, I awoke in my guest room at Sambhavna Clinic after a long night of record-breaking monsoon rain to the sound of voices in the distance shouting. I was sure it must have had something to do with the rains, so I looked out and saw that behind the Sambhavna grounds a river was raging in spate where none had existed the night before. The flash flood lasted for about eight hours. I saw all kinds of things floating in the water – plenty of plastic bags, but also barrels, chairs, plant life, and unidentified debris.
Today, I saw where all of that water and flotsam ended up – in the ironically-named neighborhood of Sunder Nagar. The name roughly means "beautiful place." There is nothing beautiful about the pools of stagnant water and mud throughout the neighborhood today. Sambhavna staff and volunteers took action today after conducting a survey of flood-affected neighborhoods this week. The water washed away the homes, food supplies, and household belongings of people already suffering the after-effects of exposure to Union Carbide's methylisocyanate gas in 1984 and decades of neglect in the communities they have built themselves with the scarce resources and materials available to them. In the meantime, the flood delivered water-borne and mosquito-borne diseases to the doorsteps of the residents of Sunder Nagar.
I was privileged to accompany the Sambhavna staff on their visit to Sunder Nagar today to distribute free medications to the residents there suffering from those diseases. As soon as we arrived, word spread of the arrival of help and residents flocked to the distribution point. The staff members, Tasneem and Jyoti, carefully recorded the names and symptoms of each person they spoke with as well as the medications distributed. Meanwhile, Anand went door-to-door to distribute a 4-day supply of water purifyng tablets to the householders.
I recorded the scene of terrible adversity that the already-afflicted people of Sunder Nagar face in the wake of the flood. Several people I spoke with said that no local officials had yet surveyed their houses for damages, let alone distribute assistance. When I asked one man who has helped them, he responded, "Only Allah." The flood deposited a thick layer of mud and garbage throughout the neighborhood, including the interior of the houses. Those homes nearest the small creek that runs alongside the neighborhood suffered the most damage. Many of these homes consist of one solid room of brick and concrete and adjoining rooms built of whatever material is available.
In this neighborhood, the available building material appeared to be two-foot square metal vents, wooden poles, and blue plastic sheeting. Those makeshift rooms were mostly washed away.
The man in one photograph wearing a turban told me how his chickens literally flew the coop to escape the floodwaters.
The chickens were his livelihood as he planned to sell them in the market. Other people lost goats. In many houses, I saw grains drying on the ground that had been spoiled by the waters.
As I stood surveying the muck that the residents must wade through just to reach their front doors, I realized that there were indeed some things about Sunder Nagar that remain beautiful. The rains did not wash away Bhopali hospitality. One man whose meager existence was made worse by the flood invited me repeatedly inside for some tea. In many houses where I was invited to take pictures, people offered me water to drink. In many of the pictures that I took, I found people smiling amid the devastation in the photographs, as happy as ever to greet a foreign visitor.
Most compelling, however, were the young men who quickly came over to us when we arrived. At first, like many idle young men, they engaged in typical male joking and posturing for the attention of my camera. After a short while, though, they had assumed responsibilities for helping Anand on his door-to-door delivery of water purifying tablets and one-page sheets of health information. Soon, they were also helping to carry the bags of medications for us and leading us safely through nearly impassable alleys filled with muck and sludge. After having joked with me at the start, one young man told me a few times that he hoped he wasn't being a bother to me. At the end of the afternoon, they came back to Sambhavna Clinic where they joined our meeting in order to learn more about volunteering for the Clinic in their own neighborhood.
Treated with dignity and realizing the opportunity to do something meaningful for their community, they were rapidly transformed into health education volunteers under Anand's guidance.
Making a donation to help the flood relief work
Donations can be made online to the Bhopal Medical Appeal, which funds the work of the Sambhavna Trust Clinic, by clicking here now.
Please note, the Bhopal Medical Appeal is a project of the Pesticide Action Network, UK, and so the receipt on your credit card statement will say PESTICIDE ACTION NETWORK.
Posted by bhola at 09:38 AM | Comments (0)
Impact of the flood in Shaheen Colony and Sundar Nagar
The situation in Shaheen Colony and Sundar Nagar which are to the east of Sambhavna Trust Clinic. Today (August 19) a team with yoga doctor Jyoti, community researchers Tasneem and Anand went to distribute water purifying tablets, medicines and health education pamphlets. And to listen and talk to people. Brian Mooney, a volunteer from New York University took the pictures.
Lad and stagnant water
Meeting at Sambhavna Clinic: Anand briefing young men from local bastis about communal flood relief
A man whose chickens flew the coop, costing him his livelihood
Rage
Debris and collapsed shanties
Making a donation to help the flood relief work
Donations can be made online to the Bhopal Medical Appeal, which funds the work of the Sambhavna Trust Clinic, by clicking here now.
Please note, the Bhopal Medical Appeal is a project of the Pesticide Action Network, UK, and so the receipt on your credit card statement will say PESTICIDE ACTION NETWORK.
Posted by bhola at 09:36 AM | Comments (0)
August 18, 2006
Flooding update: Responding to the flood
SAMBHAVNA CLINIC, BHOPAL, AUGUST 18, 2006
Health Education
We have produced 5000 pamphlets on simple preventive measures [drink boiled or disinfected water, wash hands with soap before eating, put small amounts of kerosene or burnt engine oil on stagnant pools in your neighbourhood].
Symptoms and first contact treatments [including herbal, we are recommending 'bhuiamla for treating hepatitis and turmeric and oil for skin diseases and home remedies such as lime water for loose motions] for malaria, hepatitis, typhoid, loose motions, vomiting and skin diseases. This will be distributed by about 10 people from sambhavna. More will be printed tomorrow.
Medicines
We have made a list of medicines that will be immediately required including quantities in which we need:
1. Paracetamol 500 mg 20, 000 Tabs for fever and aches
2. Chlorpheniramine Maleate 4 mg 10, 000 Tabs for cold, itching, cough and other symptoms of allergy
3. Oral Rehydration Salts 20, 000 packets for loose motion, vomiting, causing dehydration.
4. Marichadi Taila 10 litres for Ayurvedic prepared in the clinic skin diseases
5. Khadiradi Vati 10 Ayurvedic purchased kilogram for cough and cold
6. Sarjaras ointment 500 tins Ayurvedic prepared in the clinic for wounds and ulcers
We have purchased these medicines [except #4 and #6 which we produce ourselves] and have thankfully received 3,000 tablets of paracetamol, 3,000 tablets chlorphniramine maleate and 300 packets of Oral rehydration salts from Mr Atul Patel a long term supporter of Sambhavna. We have not been able to get a supply of water purifying tablets and are expecting a large supply of them from Mr Patel's contacts tomorrow morning.
Saturday plans
Tomorrow at noon 4 or 5 groups of Sambhavna staff with other volunteers will move with the pamphlets, medicines, water purifier tablets, cameras, and note books and pencils.
In several of the bastis they visited today they have already formed peoples' health committees. in these places the administration of medicines will be done by health committees.
In the others it will be done along with people in the bastis who haven't formed a committee yet but are known to the health workers well and who are personally interested in helping others. Information [extent of damage done, spread of toxic water, illnesses, peoples' needs, other initiatives to help those in distress etc] will also be gathered by the Sambhavna members and volunteers as well as photo documentation.
Local Support
The Private Medical Practitioners Association of Bhopal [PMPA] has offered to provide free consultation to individuals who are referred by us. Individuals needing urgent medical attention can be identified by people in the local health committee and be referred to doctors who are members of the PMPA.
We expect to include a small group of volunteer lab technicians who will visit the bastis and prepare blood slides for testing malaria and collect stool specimens for stomach infections and assess the pathology test requirements of the population.
Media Work
We will distribute an account of our findings and work to the media tomorrow and make an appeal for support from individuals and organisations.
Making a donation to help the flood relief work
Donations can be made online to the Bhopal Medical Appeal, which funds the work of the Sambhavna Trust Clinic, by clicking here now.
Please note, the Bhopal Medical Appeal is a project of the Pesticide Action Network, UK, and so the receipt on your credit card statement will say PESTICIDE ACTION NETWORK.
Posted by bhola at 10:05 PM | Comments (0)
Flooding update: Report of rapid assessment survey
SAMBHAVNA CLINIC, BHOPAL, AUGUST 18, 2006
Flood water entered thousands of houses. Everything people had is wet and because the sun hasn’t come out since then except very briefly nothing is dry.
1. Well over 1500 families were submerged by contaminated water from the Union Carbide factory and the Solar Evaporation ponds/landfill.
2. Thousands of children are suffering from fever, loose motions and cough and cold.
3. Government officials have left out large populations affected by the flood during their survey.
4. Everywhere people have requested medicines and medicare.
5. Purification of water is one of the most important relief activities.
1. Shakti Nagar
Location: Right next to Union Carbide factory to the east.
Water came in from Union Carbide factory entered up to 4 feet [and some places more than that] in approx 125 houses. Because of bursting of water pipes they have been getting dirty drinking water. People have not received any help from the government officials. After intervention by Sambhavna community health workers, chlorine tablets [for water purification] were distributed today.
Main medical complaints: Cold, cough, fever, eye infections, abdominal pain, loose motions.
2. Atal-Ayub Nagar
Location: Adjacent to Union Carbide factory to the east and north.
Water came in from Union Carbide factory. Up to 250 houses had up to 5 feet water inside. People have received chlorine tablets and food packets. Some water was supplied through water tankers.
Main medical complaints: Fever, fever with chills, body ache.
3. Shivshakti Nagar & Preet Nagar
Location: Next to the Solar Evaporation landfill to the north.
Water came in from the Solar Evaporation pond. Water entered 4 houses. Have received no help. Water tanker came yesterday after a gap of 3 days.
Main medical complaints: No complaints related to flood.
4. Shiv Nagar
Location: 3 kilometer north of Union Carbide factory.
350 houses had more than 5 feet water that came in from the Solar Evaporation pond and landfill. Water has not receded 3 days after the flood.
Main medical complaints: Cold, cough, skin problems, fever, fever with chills.
5. Rajgarh Colony
Location: 1 kilometer south east of Union Carbide factory next to railway track.
500 families affected. Water entered houses 3 to 5 feet. People have lost food grains. People have received chlorine tablets. Government officials have carried out survey for damages due to floods.
Main medical complaints: Fever, loose motions, vomiting, cough and cold, skin diseases.
6. Dwarka Nagar
Location: East of Rajgarh Colony on the other side of railway track.
600 to 700 houses had 4 to 10 feet water. 30 houses were completely submerged. People have lost food grains. Cattle have died. Government officials have carried out survey but the most badly affected remain to be surveyed.
Main medical complaints: Cold, cough, fever, loose motions, skin diseases, vomiting.
7. Congress Nagar
Location: 1.5 kilometer south west of Union Carbide factory
1000 to 1100 houses had 5 to 8 feet water. 30 houses were completely submerged. Government officials have carried out survey but the most badly affected remain to be surveyed.
Main medical complaints: Fever, loose motions, vomiting, skin diseases, pain in limbs.
8. Teela Jamalpura
Location: 2 kilometers south west of Union Carbide factory
800 to 900 houses have been affected. About 25 houses next to the nullah completely submerged. Several houses have got cracks. People are getting very dirty water through their taps. Chlorine tablets have not been distributed. Survey has been carried out.
Main medical complaints: Cold, cough, fever, loose motions, skin diseases, vomiting.
9. PGBT College area
1200 houses affected by water flooding in from nullah. Houses had 5 to 8.5 feet water. People have not received any help from government. Lot of garbage piled up.
Main medical complaints: Cold, cough, fever.
10. Shankar Nagar
Location: 1 kilometer north east of the Union Carbide factory
170 of 300 houses had 4 to 5 feet water. Water has not receded even now. People lost food grains. Many walls have collapsed. One woman delivered her child in the autorickshaw that was taking her to the hospital. The child died. 25 mud houses collapsed. Non government organizations distributed food on two days.
Main medical complaints: Cold, cough, fever, fever with chills, loose motions, skin diseases, chest pain.
11. Oriya Basti
Location: 1.5 kilometers north east of Union Carbide factory.
25 of the 136 houses have collapsed. Water had entered many houses and receded only after people broke the wall of the office of the Department of Telecommunications. Baby died after delivery. People have got chlorine tablets. Garbage piled every where. Non government organisations distributed food on two days.
Main medical complaints: Cold, cough, fever, fever with chills, loose motions, pain in limbs.
12. Kalyan Nagar
Location: 2 kilometers north of Union Carbide factory
600 houses affected. Houses had up to 4 feet water. 20 cement and 8 mud houses have collapsed. 8 buffaloes were carried away. Many people lost their belongings. People are drinking water from tube wells that is contaminated. No government help has reached here. People complain of severe infestation of mosquitoes.
Main medical complaints: Cold, cough, fever, fever with chills, skin diseases.
13. Shaaheen Colony
Location: East of Sambhavna Trust Clinic
All 72 houses submerged completely. Several houses still have water. People have received chlorine tablets. many children are sick.
Main medical complaints: Cold, cough, fever, loose motions, skin diseases, abdominal pain.
14. Sundar Nagar
Location: East of Sambhavna Trust Clinic
70 houses submerged. People have nowhere to stay. Walls of houses are cracked. Government officials have surveyed for flood related damage and distributed food packets.
Main medical complaints: Cold, cough, fever, fever with chills, loose motions, skin diseases.
Survey carried out by : Masarrat Jehan, Aziza Sultan, Ritesh Kumar Pal, Biju Kumar, Tabassum Ara, Shehanaz Khan, S M Nasir, Tasneem Zaidi, Anand Verma
Making a donation to help the flood relief work
Donations can be made online to the Bhopal Medical Appeal, which funds the work of the Sambhavna Trust Clinic, by clicking here now.
Please note, the Bhopal Medical Appeal is a project of the Pesticide Action Network, UK, and so the receipt on your credit card statement will say PESTICIDE ACTION NETWORK.
Posted by bhola at 10:02 PM | Comments (0)
Flooding update: Our plans to help
SAMBHAVNA CLINIC, BHOPAL, AUGUST 17, 2006
1. Appeal to doctor's bodies (Private Medical Practitioners Association, Junior Doctors Association, BMHRC doctors) for medical volunteers to go to the clinic and work in health camps
2. Appeal to paramedical college students to volunteer to take samples of blood and prepare slides.
3. Common illnesses expected: malaria (complicated by many cases of chloroquine resistant malaria), diarrhoea/vomiting, jaundice, skin diseases, typhoid. also expected leptospirosis which is spreading in surat and other places that have recently been flooded.
4. Causes for the flood : unusually heavy rain, unregulated construction choking drainage channels, use of polythene carrier bags caused drains to clog, global warming/climate change.
5. Sambhavna's community health workers will complete a survey of more than 20 bastis by tomorrow, recording:
- approximate numbers affected in each basti
- the impact of the flood
- facilities, if any, provided by the government
- common symptoms among people
- main needs.
6. Explore possibilities of donating water purifying tablets and medicines.
7. Provide health education (a pamphlet is already being written) on common illnesses caused by flooding.
8. Bastis on which we will focus:
Shiv Nagar, Shivshakti Nagar, Preet Nagar, Oriya Basti, Kalyan Nagar, Shankar Nagar, Atal-Ayub Nagar, Gareeb Nagar, Teela Jamalpura, Dwarka Nagar, Kainchi Chhola, Congress Nagar, PGBT College, Sundar Nagar, Shaheen Colony, Rajgarh Colony, Ibrahimganj, Labour Colony.
Making a donation to help the flood relief work
Donations can be made online to the Bhopal Medical Appeal, which funds the work of the Sambhavna Trust Clinic, by clicking here now.
Please note, the Bhopal Medical Appeal is a project of the Pesticide Action Network, UK, and so the receipt on your credit card statement will say PESTICIDE ACTION NETWORK.
Posted by bhola at 09:59 PM | Comments (0)
Sambhavna Clinic damaged in the severe flooding that has claimed many lives in Bhopal, neighbours rescued by boat.
NEW HEALTH FEARS AS MORE POISONS ARE WASHED FROM THE DERELICT UNION CARBIDE FACTORY INTO THE SOIL AND WATER SUPPLIES.
SAMBHAVNA CLINIC, BHOPAL, AUGUST 16, 2006
A colossal downpour began at 8.30pm on the night of Sunday 13th and did not let up for twelve hours. By the morning 13 inches (321mm) of rain had fallen on Bhopal. The city's choked drainage channels were overwhelmed and large areas of the city were soon underwater.
At least 13 people are known to have died, many others, including our neighbours (picture above) were marooned. Local people made rescues in boats, often at great risk to themselves as the streets turned into rushing torrents. People from Sambhavna rescued two children who were in danger of being swept away and watched in dismay as the nala (drainage ditch) on our northern boundary smashed down the stone wall that had been built to keep out monsoon water, and inundated the land right up to the clinic buildings. Trees, cows, furniture and Maruti cars swept past in the current.
The flood was 12 to 15 feet deep in Gautam Nagar (where our friend Vikas, of Greenpeace, lives] PGBT College [where Biju lives]. Close to the clinic, Qazi Camp, Teela Jamalpura and Chaukse Nagar were all underwater, as were Indranagar, Navjeevan Colony, Dwarka Nagar, Mahamai ka Bagh, Rajendra Nagar and many other areas. Bhopal's Lower Lake, Shapura Lake, Munshi Hussein Khan Lake and Motia Talab were all overflowing
According to the Hindustan Times, 700,000 people living in 55 out of 66 wards were affected. In several places, desperate people from flooded bastis gathered to ask for food and medical help, blocking roads and stopping traffic, until district officials agreed to meet their demands. Gas relief hospitals were asked to stay open despite the national holiday of Independence Day on August 15. Teams were out in the affected areas distributing water purification tablets.
Sambhavna is offering medical help and advice to people in the neighbouring basti.
Known to have died
Sanjay Nagar
1. Neetu [23] daughter of Mukesh
2. Ma [18] daughter of Suresh
3. Kanchan [15] daughter of Suresh
4. Chaaya [13] daughter of Suresh
5. Ballu [11] son of Suresh
They were crushed when the wall of Sadhu Vaswani College collapsed onto their hut.
Mahamai ka Baug
6. Manoj [15] son of Shivnarayan Pande
Manoj went out to get milk for morning tea and got carried away by the water rushing through the street.
Waanganga
7. Santosh [22] son of Vijay Rao
8. Gabbar [4] son of Gangaram
Gangaram, his wife Savitribai and sons Lacchman, Lakhan and Gabbar were asleep in their hut when it was inundated. Gabbar drowned. Savitribai and the other two boys were swept away and are missing.
Sharda Nagar
9. Pramod [32] son of Ramesh Kumar
Arjun Nagar
10. Dinesh [15] son of Munnalal
D.I.G. Bangla
11. Hasan Ansari [24] was on duty at an ATM near D.I.G. Bangla crossing. He was electrocuted.
Rahul Nagar
12. Rupaalee [5] daughter of Prahlad
Rupalee was in one of the six huts that collapsed in Rahul Nagar. Several people were injured.
Saket Nagar
13. Rajesh [1] son of Narsingh Rao
Damage to the clinic
The boundary wall around the herbal garden is destroyed. The eastern wall is half damaged but the walls in the west and north are almost all gone.
The garden is covered with plastic, rags and other rubbish.
Many plants and some trees have been uprooted. The beehives have been swept away. Rich fertile soil has been carried away and some areas are covered with sand and gravel.
Platforms for the solar panels and the vermi compost pits have been badly damaged.
Our basement flooded, but has now been pumped out.
Floods highlight the huge danger posed by the still-uncleaned Union Carbide factory
The unprecedented volume of water falling on the severely contaminated Union Carbide factory site will add a massive new dose of lethal toxins to the already polluted soil and water of surrounding communities.
Dow Chemical refuses to accept responsibility for the site, left in a disgraceful condition by its 100% owned subsidiary which in India is officially designated a criminal corporation and fugitive from justice.
Last year the Madhya Pradesh High Court ordered the state government to begin an immediate clean up of the factory, leaving the issue of liability and who should bear the cost unresolved.
The resulting bungled attempt would have been farcical had it not posed such danger to working people who were sent into warehouses full of dangerous pesticides with no masks or protective clothing.
A further attempt to bulldoze the waste for collection raised a huge cloud of toxic dust which resulted in the hospitalisation of many people living nearby.
The disastrous effect of decades of water and soil poisoning are already evident in nearby communities. See this presentation (PDF 8.6Mb) . The floods will make the situation worse, extending the plume of pollution and claiming more victims.
What caused the floods?
The downpour was of exceptional ferocity, more than twice the intensity of the previous rainfall record when a smaller amount (284mm) fell in a twenty four hour period on August 30, 1973.
The city's drainage system was unable to cope. The open drains and nullahs were in any case clogged with rubbish and sewage. Construction on the flood plains of the nullahs exacerbated the problem.
Overflow gates from Bhopal's Upper Lake were opened only after the lake had risen two feet above the maximum permitted emergency level. The resulting outrush of this huge volume of water made matters worse.
Making a donation to help the flood relief work
Donations can be made online to the Bhopal Medical Appeal, which funds the work of the Sambhavna Trust Clinic, by clicking here now.
Please note, the Bhopal Medical Appeal is a project of the Pesticide Action Network, UK, and so the receipt on your credit card statement will say PESTICIDE ACTION NETWORK.
Posted by bhola at 09:55 PM | Comments (0)