Chote Khan, 70 ans
© Micha Patault › contact
Chote Khan, 70 years old
© Micha Patault › contact
En 1984, Chote et sa femme, Munni Bee, habitaient à Rajgarh Colony, à 500m de l’usine. Le gaz lui provoqua des attaques aigues d’asthme et ses yeux brûlaient continuellement. Dès lors, il ne put assumer de tâches physiques et limita son temps de travail. Ils durent vendre leur maison pour une location plus modeste dans Blue Moon Colony, un quartier tout proche de l’usine. "Personne n’était au courant que l’eau était contaminée par ici, c’est vrai que l’eau avait un goût horrible et sentait bizarre, mais nous n’avions pas imaginé qu’elle pouvait contenir des produits toxiques." La consommation de l’eau endommagea la santé de toute la famille, emporta un petit-fils et une petite-fille. La mère de Chote, qui a été exposée au gaz, est morte des suites d’une longue maladie.
In 1984, he and his wife, Munni Bee, lived in Rajgarh Colony, 500 metres from the Union Carbide factory. The gas caused him chronic asthma attacks and his eyes burned continuously. Since then, he has been unable to do manual labor and has had to limit his working hours. They had to sell their house for a more modest dwelling in Blue Moon Colony, a neighbourhood right next to the factory. “Nobody knew that the water was contaminated here. It’s true that the water tasted horrible and had a strange odor, but we hadn’t imagined that it contained toxic chemicals." Daily consumption of this water damaged the health of the entire family, including grandson and granddaughter. The mother of Chote, who was exposed to the gas, died following a long period of illness.
