Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85050978063?pwd=mME9Sqwt23IvyFeGSvFb5784b43Su9.1

On September 12th, from 7 PM - 8:30 PM, we’re hosting a panel discussion on industrial accidents and pollution featuring survivors from #Bhopal, India at Penn State Beaver.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Bhopal gas leak disaster in India—the worst industrial disaster in history. We are honored to have survivors Farhat Jahan and Bati Bai Rajak share their powerful stories and insights into the ongoing struggle for justice and environmental accountability.

Let’s come together to connect global and local communities, fostering a deeper understanding of environmental justice and corporate responsibility.

WHAT: Bhopal to Beaver County Panel Discussion

WHERE: Penn State Beaver, Auditorium at Student Union Building (100 University Drive, Monaca, PA 15061)

WHEN: Thursday, September 12th 7 PM - 8:30 PM (est)

ADDITIONAL INFO:

• The event location is accessible and there is free parking on-site.

• Covid testing before attendance is appreciated, masks will be available and please please please stay home if you're not feeling well.

• This is a kid-friendly and encouraged event; but please note that childcare will not be provided.

• This event is organized by Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community (BCMAC).

Bhopal History:

2024 marks the 40th anniversary of the Bhopal gas leak disaster, which remains the worst industrial disaster in history. For nearly four decades, gas-exposed communities in Bhopal continue to face significantly higher mortality rates, various diseases, neurological disorders, and two generations of birth defects. Today, well over 150,000 people in Bhopal are battling chronic illnesses that are related to their own exposure or that of their parents, and 500,000 lives remain physically and economically harmed from the disaster. With this tour, the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal (ICJB) seeks to facilitate crucial knowledge exchange between chemically impacted communities in the United States and in Bhopal.

Bhopal has widespread implications for the petrochemical industry, as well as the international framework for human rights, environmental regulation, and accountability for multinational corporations. The shock of this disaster galvanized fenceline communities in the US into advocating for ‘Right to Know’ laws which give residents information about the toxic chemicals being emitted into their neighborhoods. This grassroots mobilization led to the passage of the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act of 1986, for the first time requiring both states to develop emergency plans for chemical disasters, and petrochemical facilities to provide emergency notifications during accidents as well as an annual toxic release inventory (TRI) report of routine toxic emissions at chemical facilities.

Ahead of the 40th anniversary, ICJB is organizing a US tour of survivors of the Bhopal disaster to revive global awareness on the causes and consequences of this event. The two survivors who will participate in this tour, Farhat Jahan and Bati Bai Rajak, were children at the time of the disaster. While they and their families were directly exposed to methyl isocyanate, their testimonies go beyond personal experience of the disaster. Both have been heavily engaged in efforts to provide free-of-cost medical care through the Sambhavna Health Clinic in Bhopal, conduct research on groundwater contamination and continuing health disparities faced by the gas-exposed population, and lead advocacy efforts towards accountability for, and clean-up of, the disaster.

These survivors will present an account of how gas-exposed communities in Bhopal have persisted for 40 years, treating illness and documenting the continued environmental pollution and damage to health faced in their communities. We hope that this tour helps to develop more support in communities across the US, both leading up to and after the 40th anniversary on December 3rd, 2024. We are also asking those who participate in the tour to think about how the tour event in your locality can be used as a starting point for future solidarity work for justice in Bhopal, and how the struggle in Bhopal connects to local struggles for environmental justice, corporate accountability, etc. We would like to see global actions take place during the week of December 3rd to mark the 40th anniversary, as well as to pressure US elected officials to mark December 3rd as Chemical Disaster Awareness Day.

Speaker Bios:

Bati Bai Rajak, International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal - Bati Bai was only 3 years old at the time of the disaster. Living with her parents and two brothers at the time, the children were all covered with blankets and quilts during the night of the gas leak, and had to relocate to a village outside of Bhopal the next morning. In the years since, her family continues to battle chronic health issues, such as chronic respiratory illness. She currently resides in an area where the groundwater is still contaminated due to reckless dumping of hazardous waste by the Union Carbide facility. Bati Bai plays a vital role in community organizing around the ongoing issues related to Union Carbide’s contamination, especially for mobilizing the women affected by the disaster. She coordinates grassroots research to understand the continuing impacts of chemical exposure such as documenting birth defects and testing contaminated water. She also organizes the community to advocate for their essential needs, such as access to clean drinking water and compensation for health damages. She has been in the forefront of several public speaking events, organizing and awareness raising events among Bhopal survivors.

Farhat Jahan, Sambhavna Trust Clinic - Farhat was 5 months old at the time of the disaster, at which time she lived with her parents, elder sisters, elder brother and her aunt. On the night of the disaster her family’s house was full of thick gas. Her mother and aunt took her in their arms and the father took the other siblings on a cycle to escape, still all of them were badly exposed. Many of the family succumbed to their illnesses in the years after the disaster, and Farhat and her mother continue to care for family members and their descendants that live with debilitating conditions due to the explosion. For the last 15 years she has worked as a community health researcher at Sambhavna Trust Clinic where she collects data on deaths and extent of injuries in the cohort population affected by gas and contaminated water. She also collects data on children of gas exposed parents and those affected by groundwater contamination who are being born with congenital deformities. She offers assistance on medical care and social support to families with chronic illness and children with disabilities. Farhat lives in Arif Nagar which is less than 300 meters away from the abandoned factory, where the groundwater remains contaminated.

Rachna Dhingra, International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal - Rachna Dhingra, originally from Delhi, was just six years old when the world’s worst industrial disaster struck Bhopal in 1984. She was 18 when she moved to the US with her mother to attend the University of Michigan; it was there that she first became active in the Association for India’s Development. She developed an interest towards activist and women’s issues, keenly following the struggles in the Narmada valley and in Bhopal. In Ann Arbor, she and other AID volunteers began a campaign against Dow Chemical, which later became the first chapter of the international group Students for Bhopal. After graduating with a business degree in 2000, Rachna joined a consulting firm where her first client, ironically, was Dow Chemical! After just a few months, she followed her passion and quit to join the peoples’ struggle in Bhopal where she has been since.

Bhopal to Beaver County

Join us for "Bhopal to Beaver County” a panel discussion on industrial accidents and pollution featuring survivors from #Bhopal, India