A short film by Himali and Umang highlighting the impact of chemicals from the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal on new borns in the neighborhood.

A short film by Himali and Umand highlighting the impact of chemicals from the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal on new borns in the neighborhood.

Bangladesh, the most crowded nation on earth, is set to disappear under the waves by the end of this century – and we will be to blame. Johann Hari took a journey to see for himself how western profligacy and indifference have sealed the fate of 150 million peoplewent to see for himself the spreading misery and destruction as the ocean reclaims the land on which so many millions depend. First published in the Independent

The Indian Government is denying basic human rights to the children of Bhopal, the survivors of the world’s worst industrial disaster and among the worst of corporate crimes.

We are writing to you about the momentous decision of Dr.G.D.Agrawal, India's preeminent environmental Scientist and a legendary Professor at IIT Kanpur, to go on 'fast-unto-death' for the conservation of River Bhagirathi-Ganga above Uttarkashi, threatened by the large number of proposed hydro-electric projects.

As Prof. Agrawal takes on his fast-unto-death to protest the destruction of River Ganga by badly thought out projects undertaken by the central and state governments, we present a vignette of the man and his mission.

The Orissa government’s agreement with Vedanta Alumina to allow mining of bauxite deposits in the Niyamgiri hills, the home of the Dongaria Kondha tribe, is an example of how corporate interests backed by state support are trampling on tribal livelihoods and threatening an ecologically rich and important region. A report by Geetanjoy Sahu published by CISED.

Mansi Asher discusses the laws and rights of access to forests that the Government of Orissa ignores and continues to violate in attempting to 'clear the land of people' in setting up POSCO. The article was first published in infochange.

"If the Sundarbans goes under, the tiger episode on earth is over," says one Indian naturalist. A journey through the mangrove forests of Bengal - in the New Yorker by Caroline Alexander.

Environmental groups called on the World Bank to delay a decision on Tuesday on funding for a $4.2 billion coal-fired power plant in India until more analyses of costs and environmental impact are done. As reported in The Guardian

Report from the first two days of the National Water Conference in Varanasi presents a broad range of discussions by members of local communities near Varanasi and representatives from communities affected by water from across India.

Over 1500 people marched to the Mehdiganj bottling plant that is operating without environmental authorization and demanded it shut down.

The opposition to the Athirapilly project on the Chalakudy River has been growing since the last seven years by the Kada tribals, dalit populations living in the project impact area, the local self governments depending on the river, the farmers in the downstream areas, Thesouthasian reproduces a letter by a representative of the movement to the president of the Congress party highlighting the impact of the project.

A national conference on Right to Water is planned in Mehdiganj in UP, India from March 28th-20th, 2008. The venue is the site of an ongoing protest against the activities of the local Coca Cola plant and its adverse impact on the local water table.

Though much has been written about the POSCO deal with the Government of Orissa (GOO), this article attempts to provide a holistic analysis of the deal. While the GOO ostensibly fights opposition to this project from human rights activists and environmentalists, is there a gargantuan economic scam playing out? Parts of this published in Seoul Times

Bangladesh has protested that New Delhi has deprived Dhaka of its share of the Ganges water as stipulated in the Gangers Water Sharing Treaty 1996 and has not heeded the complaints Dhaka earlier registered with Indian authorities.

In a major blow to the Coca-Cola company in India, a report by its ally, the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), has called for the closure of one of its bottling plants in India - in the village of Kala Dera in the state of Rajasthan. An India Resource Center Report.

Philip Gain makes a painful visit to find the World Heritage Site devastated, though hope still flickers. This article was first published in The Daily Star

Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) sources said the river is not getting its due share of waters according to the 30-year Ganges Water Sharing Treaty between Bangladesh and India. An article from The New Nation

Another Coca Cola plant in Sinhachavar, in Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh has become the center for protests as the local government body has demanded that government revoke its license to the plant.

A group of college students,  Americans of Indian origin, visited Coke's India headquarters in Delhi and Mehdiganj where local communities say they are affected by Coke's activities. A report.

About fifteen thousand tribal people have participated in Surat rally demanding for the implementation of ‘Forest Act, 2006’ recently enacted by Indian parliament and simultaneously opposing their eviction by Gujarat government from their land, which is in possession since long.

Responding to a request under RTI, the GoI Hydrology department has shown that water levels in 9 out of 13 stations in Varanasi district have fallen below drought conditions; yet, the Coca Cola plant continues to pump water out of the ground.

26 August 2007 will mark the first anniversary of the memorable mass  resistance waged collectively by all people, - young and old, men and women, Bangalees and aboriginals against the infamous Phulbari Coal Project characterized by fraudulence and rule-bashing designed to plunder natural resources under people's ownership, simultaneously causing devastation of human life and environment.

The 37 day fast for rehabilitation of the displaced by the Indira Sagar and Omkareshwar projects ended with promises to continue to monitor the rehabilitation process.

On July 8th, 2007, People's News Network organized a Convention on Ailing and Dead Rivers in New Delhi. An update.

In 2001, Dow Chemical bought Union Carbide for $9.3 billion, despite this, Dow has refused to accept moral responsibility or be held accountable for the Bhopal gas tragedy.

A vast amount of literature has been generated on the Chernobyl accident in April 1986. What lessons can we draw from the causes and sequences of the accident, the health and environmental consequences and what implications does the accident have for nuclear reactor safety and the future of atomic energy? This article by Dr. M. V. Ramana was first published in the EPW.

In a shocking finding, another Coca-Cola bottling plant in India has been found to be operating in complete violation of environmental laws and regulations in India. Communities around this plant have begun protests at this discovery.

The Satpura mountain range in Central India is probably the largest contiguous tiger habitat in the world and as such is crucial for the big cat’s continued survival into and beyond the 21st century. Vikram Nandwani - whose cartoons we have carried on thesouthasian - has started a blog to raise funds for the tiger reserve - do visit it.

"India has developed an installed capacity of 5,340 MW from wind power just over the last decade compared to 3580 MW from nuclear power developed over the last five decades." Dr Sandeep Pandey writes about the ironies of nuclear power after a visit to Koodankulam.

Ashok B Sharma with the Indian Society for Sustainable Agriculture forwards a series of articles pointing to increasingly volatile weather patterns in India.

Bhopali activists continue to demand government action against polluted groundwater. The pollutants from Union Carbide's (and now Dow's) processes. Join the Bhopalis as the demand clean water.

Addressing a press conference today leaders of four organizations of survivors of the December 1984 Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal strongly condemned Chairman Tata Group Ratan Tata's offer to clear the path for Dow-Union Carbide's investments in India by leading an effort to pay for and clean up Union Carbide's toxic waste in Bhopal.

Separate reports in Hindustan Times by PTI and by IANS suggest that effluents from the Coke plant have led to the death of between 400-500 cattle in Tirunelveli.

Police fired on protesters rallying against the setting up of the Karcham Wangtu hydro electric project in Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh. Same action, another location.

Our identities are often tied to our histories; but perhaps those of various agencies of the Government of India are exceptions. Trends in their policies present us with some clues, perhaps.

50000 farmers challenge Maharashtra Government, and corporations against proposed establishment of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) near Mumbai even as Pune trade unions oppose this plan.

As the Right to Water March goes through its third week, there has been huge support in the heartland of Northern India. The march has already passed through 7 communities in the neighborhood of bottling plants and these communities - schools and colleges, village sabhas, small town meetings - have expressed solidarity through signature campaigns and return invitations to the marchers. Under pressure from these communities, CPCB has agreed to investigate pollution dumping by Coke at its Mehdiganj plant.

Jal Adhikar Yatra (March for Right to Water) began in Mehdiganj, Varanasi, on September 10, 2006, and shall conclude in Delhi on October 5, 2006. This is led by people directly ill-effected by Coca Cola Plant in Mehdiganj who are demanding access to water and protection from indiscriminate siphoning of water by large companies.

The Center for Science and Environment have been targeted by the Coke and Pepsi and then by the Indian Government. We present this editorial by Sunita Narain that was first published in Down To Earth, CSE’s periodical on environmental issues in India.

In an interview with Nandlal on the first day of the Jal Adhikar (Right to Water) Yatra, we learn about the goals of the yatra, the importance to right to water and evidence of Coke's role in the rapidly dropping water levels in Mehdiganj.

• Environmental Laws Changed to Suit Industry; People Not Consulted 
• Disastrous EIA Notification Likely to be Announced Soon 
• Call Environment Minister A. Raja (91 11 23010468, 23010764)
• Mail MoEF at envisect@nic.in asap and express your strong concerns about this secretive and fastrack move
• Sign the Petition opposing this ad hoc amendment

The Jal Adhikar (Right to Water) Yatra that makes its way through communities in UP, MP and Rajasthan that are demanding respite from privatization of water, its indiscriminate overuse by for profit agencies and falling of water tables.

A study of the water tables in the communities around the Coke bottling plant shows that activities in the plant have severely affected water availablitiy in the region.

What makes submergence, water logging and flash floods so different from floods? A simple pointer that while the former results from ill-advised decisions taken by individuals, who remain shielded by a system that is shrouded under the culture of secrecy, the latter has been a natural phenomenon just like rainfall.

It is not surprising that the US government has stepped in to try and protect the interests of Coke and Pepsi in India.

Mismanagement and negligent operations of the large reservoirs on Tapi, Narmada, Kirshna, Godavari, Mahi and Sabarmati Rivers have created man made disaster in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

Pepsi and Coke have come under intense pressure in India in the last week following another CSE investigation showing higher levels of pesticides in 11 brands of Coke and Pepsi collected from bottling plants in 25 states.

In a preliminary survey conducted by Swadesh Science Movement of India(Delhi) with in the Mehndiganj area where the Coca-Cola plant is based, the water level in the villages of Nagepur, Bhikaripur and Mehndiganj villages have decreased to 27, 43 and 32 feet respectively.

The Mehdiganj dharna against the continued withdrawal of water by Coke continues past its 50th day even as the local administration has announced that water table has dropped past critical levels. On the other hand, Coca Cola company continues to spin as Times of India reports that Coke pays money to retailers to suppress reports of dirt and insects in the drinks.

In Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh, 1600 sheep died after grazing for 7 days in a BT cotton field after the crop was harvested. The symptoms did not correlate to any of the diseases occurred during the season.

On the 4th anniversary of the Plachimada People�s Struggle, a community seminar including the adivasis of the affected areas came up with a water policy that would address the needs of people. Ajayan, the convener of Plachimada Solidarity Committee presents the resolution.

Coca Cola spends about 70% of its profits on media, image building and publicity. And yet, at the share holders meeting in Delaware, under pressure from a large number of global communities for its unethical practices, its wheels seemed to be coming off.

Dr. S. P. Udayakumar, forwarded this as a reminder of the accident on April 26th 1986 an explosion at Reactor No. 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station in northern Ukraine triggered what the United Nations has described as "the greatest environmental catastrophe in the history of humanity".

With the India investing its future in the Nuclear deal, based on the premise that nuclear energy will solve India’s growing energy wants, it is important that there be greater public debate vis-à-vis the feasibility of nuclear energy and the implications of energy policy beholden to nuclear energy.

Yes Men planning another set of exposes of Dow and Monsanto. Here's an update on some recent Yes Men activities. But first, two appeals:

Sandeep Pandey writes about the problems with the Indo-US nuclear deal – its implications in India and internationally. This article first appeared in The News International

Avijit Chakroborty has already covered over 38000 KM and 35 countries speaking at schools about greater environmental consciousness and impact of consumerism as he tries to beat the Guinness record.

Ankita, a reader of thesouthasian, wrote to our comments page with a note to the President of India. We felt we needed to carry it verbatim.

Public Interest Groups walk into Tata Steel office in Bangalore
risking arrest and submit representation

On 12th January, 2006, more than 200 residents, primarily women, from Gummidipoondi and neighbouring areas physically entered and stopped work at the project site of Tamilnadu Waste Management Ltd (TNWML)’s hazardous waste landfill and incinerator.

The Seattle City Council http://www.thesouthasian.org/blog/archives/2005/images/bhopal_proclamation.pdf > proclaimed today that December 3, 2005 will be observed as Bhopal Remembrance Day. The date marks the 21 st anniversary of the world's worst industrial disaster: a chemical leak at a Union Carbide facility in Bhopal , India.

Over 300 residents from the communities next to the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal today marched to the Headquarters of the Indian subsidiary of American multinational Dow Chemical Company at Chembur to issue a 'firmaan' (proclamation) against the corporation.

Food irradiation is another tool to increase corporate control and monopoly over the world’s food supply, thus exacerbating the already unsustainable global food and agriculture trading system that prioritizes profits over people. Global Agriculture groups are calling for a global ban on food irradiation.

Gopal Krishnan writes about the Supreme Court order on the effect of subsidies to Waste to Energy units and their effect on waste management.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests has proposed an Amendment to the Environmental Impact Assessment that does away with all reasonable checks by which communities could hold industrial units accountable for their impact on the local community.

Environment Impact Assessment laws have been one safeguard that has sometimes worked for people. Now, in an amendment, the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) seeks to end the efficacy of EIA.

ETC Group today releases a new 48-page report on the geopolitics of nanotechnology. NanoGeoPolitics, offers an in-depth survey of the current state of nanotechnology policy debates ranging from regulatory initiatives to social dialogues and from G8 statements to CSO activism (civil society). ETC describes three main approaches being adopted by nano players: the so-called optimists, realists, and skeptics.

While the governments in South Asia have largely turned a blind eye to dumping of waste – and have even encouraged the process for short term gains – it is the courts that have been proactively involved in protecting the people.

Dumping of global trash in South Asia has gone up in the last decade. There has also been a concurrent increase in dumping of technologies, processes and products that are difficult or have environmental problems.

The number of cancer patients is rising alarmingly among the villagers in two districts in Punjab. Is the use of chemical fertilisers the cause? The Statesman carried an article based on an investigation by a Centre for Science and Environment team.

In the last decade, South Asia in general and India, specifically, has become the major dumping ground for hazardous wastes from a large number of countries in North America and Europe. The first in this series looks at the diversity of waste that flows into India.

In this third article in the series, Sarika Jain argues that interlinking of rivers is not economically viable and in fact raises numerous socio-political and environmental problems.

Dry Canals. In March. And summer has yet to begin.
Farmers committing suicide.
Not a description of what you might expect of Punjab. And yet, that is the truth.

In this second article in the series, Sarika Jain, presents the projected benefits of the Interlinking of Rivers project in India and its potential pitfalls. She also analyses the feasibility of this project as a solution to the problems being faced by India.

This is an update of awareness events and activities of the anti-coca cola campaign following the verdict from Kerala High Court.

This is an update of events and activities of the anti-coca cola campaign in the USA following the verdict from Kerala High Court.

CHENNAI, May 9, 2005 -- The air in Cuddalore SIPCOT chemical industrial estate is still not fit to breathe, concluded "Gas Trouble II: Air Quality Status and Assessment of TNPCB's Compliance to Supreme Court Monitoring Committee Order," a new report prepared by the SIPCOT Area Community Environmental Monitors (SACEM).

The last month has been very hectic for those involved in the Anti- Coca Cola campaign across the globe, especially in India and the USA, where a verdict from the Kerala High Court sparked off protests and agitations. This update is about the activities in India.

In this second article in the series, Sarika Jain, presents the projected benefits of the Interlinking of Rivers project in India and its potential pitfalls. She also analyses the feasibility of this project as a solution to the problems being faced by India.

150,000 Bhopalis are sick and suffering from Carbide’s chemicals. Yet many illnesses remain medical mysteries: doctors don’t know how to treat them.
Call the Indian Government TODAY. Demand a National Commission on Bhopal.

Tiruvallur district collectorate today witnessed democracy in action, when more than 350 villagers attended a public hearing to voice their opposition to a hazardous waste facility that was proposed to be set up near their village in Gummidipoondi in North Tamilnadu. This report was filed with the permission of Toxics Link.

While one might make a personal decision not to consume Coke or Pepsi products, there have to be strong and clear reasons for a group to suggest public boycott of these products.

The Coca Cola Company has been denounced by various communities, organizations and grassroots movements for violating basic human and environmental rights.

As Environmental Ministers from around the world met at Nairobi, on 25 February 2005 to reduce global mercury pollution, NGOs and watch groups from around the world agreed that no concrete steps were taken to address the issue.

The central government in India is approving construction projects in areas where the adivasi and other indigenous people live.

Slums.

We city dwellers have quite strong opinions about them.

In this mutli-part series, Sanat Mohanty discusses why we have to look for alternatives and what kinds of alternatives we should look for. This seventh piece of the series presents the problems with the trickle down theory and the efficiency of free markets.

In this mutli-part series, Sanat Mohanty discusses why we have to look for alternatives and what kinds of alternatives we should look for. This sixth piece of the series presents the unclaimed externalities of development.

In this mutli-part series, Sanat Mohanty discusses why we have to look for alternatives and what kinds of alternatives we should look for. This fifth piece of the series questions the broadly held assumptions of development.

Children in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St Paul talk about the victims of the gas disaster in Bhopal and the responsibilities of Dow.

Months after the Supreme Court passed a verdict levying 17 crore fine against Hema Chemicals for Chromium dumping, another case gathers momentum.

Reports in the British press say that Britain is throwing out more than a million tonnes of electronic "e-waste" such as broken computer monitors and discarded mobile phones every year. A Guardian report said that last year, 23,000 tonnes of IT and other electronic equipment was shipped out illegally, mostly to China, West Africa, Pakistan and India.

Sitara Shreen has been a grassroots worker and organizer in Sri Lanka for many years. She was living in Minneapolis in 2004 but rushed back to Sri Lanka after the Tsunami. We will put up some of her notes about the situation on the ground.

A couple of weeks ago, we had sent out an invitation to our readers requesting them to write and tell the rest of us about who they are, what they do, what organizations they work with and what ideas they have.

December 3 is observed as Global Day of Action against Corporate Crime. This year let's take a look at what happened in Kodaikanal.

Corporate Accountability International, along with numerous other local organizations cited Coke for its unethical practices in India

Etoxic, an environmental group based in India, lists drugs that have been banned in the EU and/or USA, but continue to be sold in India.

Sixteen tribals, mostly women, critically injured. Massive lathicharge on adivasis.
Tense standoff between agitated tribals and police in Kashipur.

Events are being organized around the world to remember those tens of thousands who have died owing to the gas disaster in Bhopal caused by negligence by Union Carbide on the night of December 3rd, 2004 as well as in solidarity with thousands whose life has been living hell since.

On this 20th anniversary of Bhopal, there is another kind of destruction that we must turn our attention to � the extensive pumping out of millions of liters of water from hundreds of sites around the world, primarily by Coca Cola and Pepsi.

Nearly 20 years after the 1984 gas leak in Bhopal, India, known as the "Hiroshima of the chemical industry," it remains the worst industrial disaster in human history.

On the morning of 23rd November, 2004, at the city hall, Minneapolis, Corporate Accountability International (CAI) held a press conference highlighting the unethical behavior of the Atlanta based Coca Cola. It cited numerous instances where Coke has been draining out the water table in communities that are having trouble accessing clean drinking water.

In response to increasing demonstrations against Coca Cola, and specifically in response to march planned from November 15-24, 2004, the company put out advertisements in newspapers raising various questions.

Bhopal. Say it one more time, Bho-pal. A mere two-syllable word has come to symbolize unjust globalization, corporate exploitation and endemic corruption.

Faisalabad is one of the major and industrial cities generating excessive noise pollution, causing serious health hazards for the people.

“Kisanon ne machaya shor, Coca-cola paani chor, Doodh-dahi ke desh mein Pepsi-Coke nahin chalega.”

This is one of the slogans being used by people’s movements in Uttar Pradesh which are organizing a march and a rally to close down 2 Coca-Cola bottling plants in the state.

A man looks for drinking water in western Gujarat - and this is what he can find. Photograph from Utthaan archives.

2004 is the twentieth anniversary of the Bhopal gas disaster. Twenty years is a very long time. For the victims of the disaster, twenty years has also been a very hard time. But, for the rest of the world, it is time to start asking hard and difficult questions: questions not only about Union Carbide and Corporations, but also about our own lives.

Leading up to December 3rd, 2004, 20 years after the infamous Union Carbide tragedy in Bhopal, we review the state of the victims, ask ourselves whether justice has been done and wonder whether the rest of us would rather forget about it. We begin a series of articles on the aftermath of Bhopal with a review of the tragedy.

On June 25th, the meeting on South Asian Judicial Interaction on Environmental Justice and Equity ended with a key declaration that gives the judiciary of these South Asian nations the responsibility of protecting the biodiversity of this region and providing for environmental justice in the face of increasing environmental exploitation. What are the implications of this declaration?

Water companies, on the other hand, argue that the process efficiencies associated with private enterprise will lower the cost of delivering water to the public, and therefore make water more affordable to the urban poor.

Union Carbide built the pesticide factory in Bhopal, India in the 1970s

Is this a priority for Assam? No doubt, any flood alleviation project will be of some benefit.

Impacts on the Developing World and South Asia

(This is Part 1 of a 2-part series on Alternative Fuel Technologies.)

Whatever the amount of paper that you use, requires more than twice as much its weight in wood to produce it.

On the night of December 2-3 1984, 40 tons of Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) and other deadly gases spewed from Union Carbide Corporation's (UCC) factory in Bhopal, India. The safety sirens were turned off so no one was warned of the impending massacre. Several thousands died that night and in the years since. In all an estimated 20,000 lives have been lost. But why bring this up 18 years since? Has not justice been done? Did Union Carbide not pay massive amounts of damages - $470 million – as directed by the Supreme Court of India? Should we not close this issue now?

Ever wondered how much ‘nature’ your lifestyle requires?

In the last few years, with the lowering of trade barriers and opening of markets, a plethora of goods and technologies have found their ways into homes and communities in South Asia. While the impact of some of these may be open to discussion, there are others that are clearly harmful. Among such technologies is the “Waste to Energy Technology”.