The national capital is staring at a Union Carbide-like chemical disaster. But this time it could be a terrorist strike, instead of an accident, warns NSG chief
The national capital is staring at a Union Carbide-like chemical disaster. But this time it could be a terrorist strike, instead of an accident, warns NSG chief
Waging chemical warfare was never so easy. Delhi, it seems, is sitting on a bomb and all that terrorists need to
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do is detonate it.
"The Bhopal gas tragedy can be replicated by engineering a leak through explosive charges. The toxic industrial waste poses a potential threat and its use as a terror tool is under the realm of reality," Aulakh told MiD DAY.
More than 15,000 people died when poisonous Methy Iso-cyanate was leaked from the plant of chemical major Union Carbide in the Madhya Pradesh capital.
The warning by the elite anti-terror commando force assumes significance in the wake of the upcoming Commonwealth Games in October when millions of foreign tourists and athletes would visit the national capital.
"Imagine what would happen if such an accident takes place, while the country is hosting thousands of international visitors," said a Home Ministry official.
Highly-placed NSG officials, requesting anonymity, confirmed that Delhi and Mumbai are on top of the hit-list of terrorists. "In Delhi, where the industrial hubs like Okhla, Mayapuri, Narayana are situated in the heart of the city and are surrounded by residential colonies, any such attack could prove to be a huge disaster. The terrorists could use Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) and low-level explosives to engineer the leak," they said.
The officials also referred to the latest oil depot fire in Jaipur, which continued for three days. "Thankfully, the depot was located on the outskirts of the city. But otherwise it would have resulted in huge loss of human life," they added.
Sitting ducks
It would be interesting to note that even after being caught unawares in Bhopal, the preparedness to deal with such disasters is almost negligible after so many years.
In fact, the government lacks a database about the toxic gases and chemicals that are traded and used in the city.
The Union Carbide factory in Bhopal. The National Security Guards have
warned that terrorists may try to replicate the tragedy in metros
"Here we are talking about toxic gases and chemicals which could mix with the air and spread rapidly. Every government agency is well aware of the threat and the resulting catastrophe but nothing has been done to deal with the situation," said a senior National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) official on condition of anonymity.
"We have not learned any lesson from Bhopal. Maybe, we are waiting for another one," he said.
The expert on disasters also pointed out that apart from the necessary infrastructure required to deal with such attacks, there was an urgent need to build capacity in hospitals - both government and private-run - to respond quickly.
"Apart from comprehensive data regarding toxic chemicals and gases in the city, staff at all hospitals situated close to industrial hubs should be trained. They must have sufficient stock of antidotes to deal with poisoning," the NDMA official said.
Raise awareness
In Delhi only government hospitals are enlisted to deal with a possible chemical attack. In fact when the NDMA conducted a mock-drill in January to deal with gas leaks, only a few top government hospitals were invited. This, despite the fact that private-run hospitals form the majority of the medical service providers in the city.
"In Delhi, more than 70 per cent hospitals are private nursing homes. Government hospitals can not handle such disasters on their own," the official said.
US$470 million Sum of money that Union Carbide agreed to pay towards final settlement of civil and criminal liabilities
| Still a hazard |
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Twenty-six years after the gas leak, 390 tonnes of toxic chemicals abandoned at the UCIL plant continue to leak and pollute the groundwater in the region and affect thousands of Bhopal residents who depend on it. There is some dispute as to whether the chemicals still stored at the site pose any continuing health hazard. There are currently civil and criminal cases related to the disaster ongoing in the United States District Court, Manhattan and the District Court of Bhopal against Union Carbide, now owned by Dow Chemical Company, with an Indian arrest warrant pending against Warren Anderson, CEO of Union Carbide at the time of the disaster. No one has yet been prosecuted. |
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