In the beginning of December, on the 40th anniversary of the disaster in Bhopal, a court decided that the toxic waste must be removed within a month. Despite four decades having passed, the authorities are still described as passive.
During just a few days in December 1984, 3,500 people died in the Indian city when toxic gases began leaking from the factory. An additional 15,000 people died the following year, according to the authorities' calculations. However, according to activists, the actual death toll is much higher and many victims still suffer from side effects after the leak.
Since the accident, toxic substances have remained in the abandoned factory and contaminated the groundwater and surrounding area. According to the authorities, it will take between three and nine months to treat and destroy all the waste.
