37 years on, children not then born scarred forever by Bhopal gas leak

Bhopal, Dec 02 (PTI): They were not born at the time but hundreds of children live the horrors of that intervening night of December 2-3, 1984, every minute of every day — their bodies trapped forever in congenital disabilities such as blindness and cerebral palsy.
Thirty-seven years and some three generations later, the darkness of that night when 40 tonnes of lethal methyl isocyanate leaked out of the Union Carbide plant hangs like an impenetrable cloud over the lives of untold thousands, including children as young as three whose parents were exposed to the toxin when they themselves were children.
What did help was therapy and special education lessons. That has been impacted with the Covid pandemic and the months of lockdown that followed. As the world marks another anniversary, those that were left behind count their losses.
The official number of deaths from what has come to be known as the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, among the world’s worst industrial disasters ever, was 2,259 but activists estimate the number could be well over 20,000, maybe double that.
The effects were devastating for those who survived, and for the generations that followed. Adding to the long-term effects of those who inhaled the gas was the slow poisoning of the groundwater. Those exposed passed the effects on, leading to many children born with disabilities, including Down’s syndrome, muscular dystrophy and attention-deficit disorders.
Alfez is 10, Umair 12, Isha 18, Mohsin 24 Just some of the many who live their lives confined to their beds and inside their homes, helpless and totally dependent for their everyday needs. While studies continue and much is still to be known, the chain from that night 37 years ago is clear, said experts. And it is going on still.
Azaan is only three years old. He has cerebral palsy, a debilitating, genetic condition that probably goes back to his grandparents who were exposed to MIC.
I was eight months pregnant when the gas tragedy happened. My daughter was born with nasal related complications though not severe, said his grandmother.
Azaan’s seizures have increased in the last six months, probably because he didn’t get regular therapy due to the lockdown. Help has come in the form of therapists from the Chingari Trust, a rehab centre, doing weekly home visits and video calls.
Ten-year-old Alfez, who suffers from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), leads a lonely life with few people to understand him. His mother Tarannum recalls taking him to a doctor when he wasn’t even a year old and being asked whether anyone in the family was affected in the gas tragedy.
It finally turned out that his father Sajid, who was then just a year-and-a-half, had inhaled the gas. Decades down the line, when he had a child, the impact was passed on. And the doctor told Tarannum, Alfez’s medical condition is congenital.
The lockdown interrupted Alfez’s regular therapy (which includes speech, occupational and special education at Chingari Rehab Centre). His behaviour has changed. With regular therapy, Alfez had started to speak a bit. That has stopped and now he can’t even tell us when he needs to go the toilet and soils himself.
The behavioural problems of 12-year-old Umair Ahmed, who was born with Down’s Syndrome, have also exacerbated. Much loved by his family, he has started hitting out when someone comes too close because no therapy sessions have been happening. And his attention span has decreased,
Umair’s father was just four in December 1984 when he was exposed to the poisonous gas. There could be other reasons for Umair’s medical conditions and research on genotoxic and long-term effects of MIC gas are still going on.
The cases are many. Hidden in the bylanes of Bhopal, each story of despair lined with the silver of a loving family which looks after their children with care and empathy.
Like 18-year-old Isha Ansari, who has spastic cerebral palsy, and doesn’t have use of her hands but like any other teenager loves listening to music, watching videos and playing on her mobile operating it all with her toes.
In her case, her mother Jainab was exposed to MIC. And both parents drank the contaminated groundwater for years.
Amaan, 12, whose parents were exposed to the gas, also has cerebral palsy. He can’t eat himself but loves good clothes and good food, and even tries to do some writing.
The lockdown has been tough.
According to his family, Armaan was doing better with regular therapy but his condition has deteriorated now. He is not able to squat as he was earlier. He had also started articulating his words but has regressed to communicating through signals.
Fifteen-year-old Zoya Khan, who has an intellectual disability with a wrist drop, holds her grandmother tight when she sleeps. She looks for me, the fond dadi’, Asha Bi, said. A few months ago, Asha Bi lost her husband. The entire family Asha Bi, her husband and her son were affected by the gas leak.
While Zoya’s father died a few years ago, the mother doesn’t keep well.
When will it end? Experts are still looking for answers.