The farce that was and is NEERI Scroll down for information, photographs and resources on the present-day poisoning of Bhopal. NEERI, the National Environmental Engineering Research Institude of Nagpur, an 'expert' member of the special Task Force convened by Madhya Pradesh politicians to work on contamination at the Bhopal plant site, is already entangled in sixteen years of the site's history. Its role has been, to speak generously, one of unparalleled incompetence. Either that, or NEERI has played the principal part in a two decade cover-up that has wilfully sacrificed tens of thousands of men, women and children to daily exposure to lethal chemicals. NEERI's involvement in two major contamination studies of 1990 & 1997 was approved by Union Carbide and overseen by Carbide's intermediary in Bhopal, the consultancy Arthur D Little – promulgators of the sabotage-by-disgruntled-worker fiction of 1987 – who were hired by Carbide to be: "Primarily Responsible For All Aspects of Site Rehabilitation Efforts” (UCC 02271). Under this management, NEERI in 1990 reported that the Solar Evaporation Ponds outside the factory walls had not contaminated soil and groundwater, despite its own caveat expressed on page 142: "There are a few organic compounds which could not be identified and hence the sediment [in the SEPs] cannot be ruled out to be non-hazardous”. In fact, at least nine chemicals that showed their presence as characteristic peaks in the High Performance Liquid Chromotography used on samples taken from the SEPs were left unidentified by NEERI. Carbide themselves had already analysed water from the ponds, finding lead, cadmium, arsenic, cyanide, chlorides, phenols, and carbaryl pesticides present. In an internal memo never meant to be seen by the outside world Carbide's head of Health, Safety & Environmental Research at Danbury cautioned his colleagues about NEERI's puzzling results, saying, "we do not know the exact sample and analytical protocols used” (UCC 02050). This did not stop Carbide from quoting the NEERI study later when defending itself from allegations regarding the contamination. Carbide's early doubts about NEERI's competence had by 1993 turned into a clear recognition that its incompetence was invaluable. A new study of the Bhopal site's contamination was in the offing and Carbide decided that judging by past performance NEERI would do a wonderful job. Carbide listed NEERI's observed weaknesses in detail: However, NEERI had one major advantage over any alternative: "It was noticed that State Pollution Control Board did not question the investigations and recommendations of NEERI. If the work is carried out by any other agency, the Board follows-up and examines the work critically and more so if UCIL is involved. By which they meant that if by chance NEERI's weaknesses told against Carbide, their expert advisors Arthur D Little would nudge the bewildered Nagpuris in the right direction. (For the whole Carbide discussion read, UCC02398, 02399, 02400, 02401, 02402) When the first draft of the 1997 NEERI report was sent to Arthur D Little and Union Carbide, it was music to corporate ears. Though the report recognised that over 20% of the site area was heavily contaminated, it confidently gave the groundwater a clean bill of health: "In general the soil in the area is clayey soil... clayey soil is highly impermeable... ie. it would take 23 years for the contaminants to reach the ground water table provided the leachate does not find a channel to migrate at a faster rate." (UCC 01100 and 01101) Months earlier, a State Government report had found highly elevated levels of industrial chemicals in wells around the plant. Nevertheless, NEERI makes the reckless claim that the groundwater is potable: "The water meets the drinking water quality criteria. This indicates that the contaminants have not reached the water table till now. "(UCC 01099) Arthur D Little had the task of reviewing this 1996 draft. The criticisms in their private report to Carbide's directors ran to seventeen pages, finding flaws right across the report's spectrum. Most critically, ADL clearly advised against giving the water a clean bill of health: "While we agree that the ground water samples do not contain contamination, the sentence 'The ground water appears to be suitable for drinking purposes' is too strong given the limits of the data for the following reasons. First, there is only one round of ground water samples from these wells. Second, it is not known if contaminant migration will impact ground water in the near future. Finally, there is little information regarding the hygrogeology in the area." p.13, ADL's comments (UCC 03043). Astonishingly, when NEERI published the final version of its report in 1997, the key data it used to support its (flawed as was later proven) assertion that the groundwater was safe, was the estimated migration time of the contaminants, precisely what it had been warned against by ADL: "Statements concerning contaminant travel times to the aquifer below the site should be considered to be highly speculative. There is very little site-specific data that can be used to confidently predict infiltration rates." Page 2 of ADL's criticisms says: "The conclusions regarding travel time to the water table may significantly underestimate the potential for ground water contamination ... site-specific data from the report suggest that travel times could be significantly faster than assumed. For example, Table 5.33 indicates the majority of the stratigraphy above the water table consists of sandy soil and sandstone bedrock. Clay is only present to a depth of 6.1 metres... As an example, one can argue that the worst case scenario travel time would be 2 years, assuming the following..." ps.12-13, comments (UCC 03042-03043) NONE of the changes recommended to NEERI by the vastly more experienced consultant ADL were incorporated in the final report of 1997. Not one. The report reveals not just incompetence but something far murkier. Both the MP State government and Union Carbide have consistently used the NEERI report to deny that the lethal and now-proven contamination of the ground water that supplies the drinking wells of 20,000 Bhopalis has anything to do with Union Carbide's factory. Investigative journalists may care to explore the less-than-clear relationships that existed between Carbide, the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board which hired NEERI and more than one Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. As for Union Carbide Corporation, despite knowing the specific and damning criticisms of the 1997 NEERI report made by its consultant Arthur D Little, it stated during proceedings in the US lawsuit concerning contamination that "there was no groundwater contamination outside the plant” due to the "relative impermeability of the soil in and around the plant.” (Def. St. at ¶ 6; Ex. A to the Krohley Declaration.) Union Carbide's unreliability as a witness has been demonstrated often enough to require no further comment, but as a new task force prepares to assess the continuing blight that is Carbide's factory, there can be no doubt that NEERI should not be involved in any in any capacity whatsoever. Large questions hang over the organisation's integrity during its eight years of contamination assessment at the site.
On its website, the first thing NEERI tells us about itself is that "National Environmental Engineering Research Institute(NEERI) or National Informatics Centre (NIC), will not be responsible for any loss to any person caused by inaccuracy in the information available on this Website." Concerned persons might consider writing to the Director and asking whether NEERI accepts responsibility for any loss (for example of health, children, or life) to any person caused by inaccuracy in the information in its 1997 report on the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal.
Let us know how you get on. PHOTOGRAPHS AND VIDEOS
Virtual text-based tour of the factory (based on MUD technology) Coming soon.
Summary of the contamination at the site (written 2001) UNION CARBIDE'S SECRET PAPERS
CLEAN-UP ISSUES SUGGESTED KEYWORD SEARCHES OF BHOPAL.NET WHAT YOU CAN DO
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