Two disasters, two very different responses
The massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will go down as one of the worst environmental disasters of modern times. But at least it is being dealt with vigorously by the most powerful government in the world and a corporate behemoth with significant financial resources and engineering expertise. BP engineers appear to have had some success in slowing down the oil leak. Worried that the spill could become a political liability ahead of mid-term elections in the United States, President Barack Obama has kept up the pressure on BP.
Contrast that with the US government's behaviour after the Union Carbide gas leak that killed thousands and maimed many more in the Indian city of Bhopal in 1984. Early this week, after more than 25 years, seven former top Indian executives were finally convicted for their role in the leak, among them one of the country's top industrialists, Keshub Mahindra. But their appeals are likely to drag on for many more years.
During the Bhopal accident and thereafter, Indian state and local officials have repeatedly failed to perform their duties. The US government has, time and again, been less than helpful. Only US$470 million in compensation has ever been paid by Union Carbide, now a subsidiary of Dow Chemical. For two decades, Indian state prosecutors and campaigners have pursued its former chairman, Warren Anderson, now 89. But in 2004, the US government refused to extradite him to India.
Though 11 people were killed when the BP oil rig exploded on April 20, no one else has died from the leak. Many Americans affected by the oil spill see their livelihoods undermined, but they are unlikely to experience the same despair and hopelessness as the Bhopal survivors. The active involvement of their government will ensure they will receive reasonable compensation. Perhaps more Americans should spare a thought for the Bhopal victims and their families.
As their government has shown, the 'not in my backyard' syndrome has never been more obvious.
