National Pollution Control Day 2016 was observed on Dec 2nd 2016 in India with the aim to make people and industries aware about the Pollution Control Acts.
The day is observed each year
to honour thousands who lost their lives in the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy and were several affected on account of leakage of poisonous gas from Union Carbide plant in Bhopal.
This is considered one of the worst tragedies in the world’s industrial history and people continue to witness physical and mental disabilities on account of this catastrophe.
Bhopal gas tragedy happened on the night of 2-3 Dec 1984 due to discharge of poisonous gas Methyl Isocyanate(MIC) and other chemicals.
The leakage was from the Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal, MP.
Due to the leakage, more than 5 lakh persons were exposed to the poisonous MIC gas. 2259 died immediately. Later, the MP government declared 25,000 people dead because of gas related diseases. Toxic waste lying in the now defunct Union Carbide plant has still not been disposed of.
Efforts to Curb Pollution- National Pollution Control Board is the main governing body to curb pollution.
- It carries out checks on industries to assess if they are following environmental regulations or not.
- In Nov 2016, the Paris Agreement on climate change entered into force.
- This marks the first time governments have agreed to control global temperature rise.
