National Pollution Control Day is observed on December 2 every year in memory of those who suffered and lost their lives in the horrific Bh...
National Pollution Control Day is observed on December 2 every year in memory of those who suffered and lost their lives in the horrific Bhopal Gas Tragedy of 1984. The fateful incident occurred due to the accidental discharge of the toxic chemical gas Methyl Isocyanate and other toxic gases from the Union Carbide chemical plant in Bhopal on the night of December 2, 1984.
More than five lakh people got exposed to the toxic gases and at least 4,000 were killed in the following days. Thousands more died due to the effects of the gas leak in subsequent years. The survivors have increased rates of cancer and birth defects, and suffer from a compromised immune system.
Significance and objectives
This year marks the 36th anniversary of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, listed by the International Labour Organization as among the world’s major industrial accidents in the last century. National Pollution Control Day is observed as a reminder of the extent of damage environmental degradation through air, water and soil pollution can have on human life. The day is about raising awareness and public conscience with regards to the ecology and its protection from human activities.
Among the acknowledged objectives of the day is to educate people on the management and control of industrial disasters,...
