August 17 2005
Press Statement
Women from the communities adjacent to the Union Carbide factory will tie “rakhis” on  the Chief Minister’s wrist this year seeking protection from poisons in the groundwater in their area.
Addressing a press conference today women from the  communities whose ground water is poisoned by Union Carbide’s chemical waste said that the system of supply of clean water to the 16 communities through tankers has been totally disrupted for the last two months.
Mrs. Shahazadi Bee from Blue Moon Colony said that no tanker has reached her community and the neighboring communities of Annu Nagar, Sundar Nagar and Shri Ram Nagar since June 25 this year. Mrs. Ram Bai from Prem Nagar said that despite a clear order from the Supreme Court of India and strong reminders from the Supreme Court Monitoring Committee not a drop of clean water has reached Prem Nagar, Navjivan Colony, Shiv Nagar, Gareeb Nagar and Timber Market till today. Supply of water to New Arif Nagar, Atal-Ayub Nagar and Nawab Colony has dropped down to half of the usual amount.
Tests done at the IIT Kanpur in 2000 showed that breast milk of the mothers in the ground water contaminated communities contained toxic and cancer causing chemicals such as Chloroform, Dichlorobenzene, Trichlorobenzene, Dochloromethane and heavy metals such as mercury and nickel.
A study carried out by the Sambhavna Trust in 2000 showed that while the national prevalence of anemia in women was 52%, 95% of women from these communities suffer from anemia.
Rashida Bi, Champa Devi Shukla
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh
9303132298
Syed M Irfan,
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha
9329026319
Shahid Noor
Bhopal ki Aawaaz,
9826182226
Satinath Sarangi, Rachna Dhingra,
Bhopal Group for Information and Action
9826167369

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