What are the causes of the Bhopal Tragedy?

The Bhopal tragedy occurred when highly toxic methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas leaked from the Union Carbide India Ltd. pesticide plant on the night of 2–3 December 1984, due to a chain of technical failures, cost-cutting, poor safety culture, and weak regulation.

Immediate/technical causes

• Water entered an MIC storage tank → runaway exothermic reaction → rapid pressure build-up → venting of MIC into the atmosphere.
• Large volume of MIC stored on site increased the scale of the release.
• Inoperative/ineffective safety systems: refrigeration switched off or inadequate, vent gas scrubber and flare tower not functioning/under maintenance/under-designed, alarms and water curtain ineffective.

Organisational & human factors

• Cost-cutting and deferred maintenance (staff cuts, equipment not serviced, critical backups offline).
• Inadequate training/SOPs for handling MIC; poor adherence to lock-out/tag-out and isolation procedures during cleaning/maintenance.
• Previous warning signs (minor leaks/odour complaints) not addressed with systemic fixes.
• Night-shift vulnerability: fewer staff, slower detection/response.

Design & siting issues

• Hazardous plant next to dense residential areas (urban encroachment + poor industrial zoning).
• Process design vulnerabilities: storing large quantities of MIC instead of minimizing inventory; insufficient secondary containment.

Regulatory & governance lapses

• Weak enforcement of worker safety and environmental laws; infrequent/ineffective inspections.
• No robust on-site/off-site emergency plan; poor community warning and evacuation systems.
• Accountability gaps between company, local administration, and regulators.

Environmental/dispersion factors

• MIC is heavier than air → hugged the ground, entering low-lying neighbourhoods.
• Night-time conditions (cooler air, low mixing) worsened exposure.

How to frame it in Civics (“Law & Social Justice”)

• The disaster shows why laws must be enforced, not just made: minimum safety standards, maintenance of critical safeguards, and right to information/early warning protect workers and communities.
• It’s a case for corporate accountability, compensation, medical rehabilitation, and stronger environment & industrial safety regulation.