The Bhopal Gas Tragedy

All's Not Well with the Bhopal Plant Contd...

All this served as a signal for many well-trained and experienced engineers and operators to leave the Bhopal factory in search of more secure and satisfactory employment. Between one-half and two-thirds of the skilled engineers who had worked with the plant right from the project stage had left the plant by 1983. Analysts felt that the top officials at UCC were neglecting the Bhopal plant because they were no longer interested in it. The Bhopal plant was licensed to manufacture 5,000 tons of MIC based pesticides per year. However, peak production was only 2704 tons in 1981, which fell to 1657 tons in 1983.

Thus the quantity of pesticides manufactured in 1983 was only 33.14% of its licensed capacity. In the first ten months of 1984, UCIL's losses amounted to Rs. 50 million. UCC planned to close the plant and put it up for sale. When no buyer came forward in India, plans were made to dismantle the factory and ship it to another country. Negotiations to this end were completed by the end of November 1984. Financial losses and plans to dismantle the plant exacerbated UCIL's already negligent management practices.

The Tragedy

On the night of December 2, 1984, during routine maintenance operations at the MIC plant, at about 9.30 p.m., a large quantity of water entered storage tank no. 610 containing over 40 tons of MIC. This triggered off a reaction, resulting in a tremendous increase of temperature and pressure in the tank. 40 tonnes of MIC, along with Hydrogen Cyanide and other reaction products burst past the ruptured disc into the night air of Bhopal at around 12.30 a.m. Safety systems were grossly under-designed and inoperative. Senior factory officials knew of the lethal build-up in the tank at least one hour before the leakage, yet the siren to warn neighbourhood communities was sounded more than one hour after the leak started.

By then, the poisonous gases had covered an area of 40 sq.kms. killing thousands of people. Over 500 thousand experienced acute breathlessness, pain in the eyes, and vomiting as they inhaled the deadly vapours. They ran in panic to get away from the poisonous cloud that hung close to the ground for more than four hours.When people poured into hospitals by thousands, their eyes and lungs in burning, choking agony, the doctors called up the plant medical officer to find out what they ought to do.

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Case Details

Case Code : BECG009
Themes: Ethics in Business
Case Length : 09 Pages
Period : 1980-2001
Organization : Union Carbide India Limited
Pub Date : 2002
Teaching Note : Available
Countries : India
Industry : Chemicals

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