AUSTIN, TX

After a hard round of debate, the Student Government of The University of Texas at Austin voted yes on resolution AR26, “In support of students at The University of Texas at Austin who are seeking a meeting with the President of The University of Texas at Austin to write a letter to Dow Chemical Company to address its responsibility towards the Bhopal disaster and ask Dow Chemical Company to spend matching funds for the environmental clean-up in Bhopal.” The resolution, sponsored by Association for India’s Development (AID), was supported by twenty student groups and signed by more than 1000 University of Texas students and 50 faculty members. It cites the company’s refusal to accept any outstanding responsibilities of its subsidiary, Union Carbide, in Bhopal, India.

On December 3rd, 1984, a Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India, leaked 27 tons of methyl isocyanate, a deadly gas. Roughly half a million people were exposed to the gas and 15,000 have died to date as a result of the exposure. More than 120,000 people still suffer from such ailments as blindness, lung fibrosis, long term breathlessness, chronic gastrointestinal symptoms and gynecological disorders. It is estimated that 30 people die every month because of exposure related illnesses.  Because Union Carbide fled India after the disaster and has failed to appear in the court of law, Union Carbide and its then CEO Warren Anderson have been declared as “fugitives from justice” by the courts in India. In 2001, Dow Chemical Corporation purchased Union Carbide, thereby acquiring its assets and liabilities. Dow has not only refused to submit its subsidiary for trial but has also refused to disclose the composition of the gas leak, information that could potentially save many lives.

Bhopal might be the world’s worst chemical disaster, but Dow harbors many other “Bhopals” in its closet through its legacy of human rights and environmental violations: dioxin contamination in Michigan; mass sterility because of Nemagon; Agent Orange; carcinogenic exposures in Mission, Texas; and numerous other Bhopals. Denial of liability for Bhopal also brings forth a case of double standards as Dow set aside $2.2 billion for Union Carbide’s asbestos liabilities, yet refuses to accept Union Carbide’s liabilities in Bhopal, India.

By passing the resolution, Student Government recognizes that Dow has failed to respect UT’s core value of “responsibility”. The Student Government will also work with the authors of the resolution to meet with the President of The University of Texas at Austin to discuss the issue, and will request him to write a letter to Dow, and asking Dow to submit Union Carbide to criminal trial in India, thus taking steps toward remediation of the contamination at the Bhopal site. The resolution also asks The University to urge Dow to spend an equal amount of money on Bhopal clean up as much as it gives to UT.
A similar resolution, introduced to the Student Government on January 31st, lost narrowly after a five hour debate. The support for Bhopal gained a lot of momentum and strength thereafter. “Many now realize the enormity of Bhopal tragedy and how the companies responsible are able to go scot-free even after 22 years of human suffering. The University of Texas’s students have now made a powerful statement that such irresponsibility will not go unchecked,” the authors of the resolution said of the victory.

AID is a 501©(3), voluntary, nonprofit organization with over 52 chapters in six countries and undertakes developmental projects related to health, education, women’s empowerment and childcare in rural India. AID strives to enable a self-sustained and improved lifestyle of millions of people in India and has supported over 365 projects in the last 14 years. More details about AID Austin can be found here .