Union Carbide factory, the site of the deadly gas leak 40 years ago which was once located on Bhopal's outskirts, is now dotted with residential and commercial establishments. A prominent shopping mall-cum-entertainment centre is now located just 4 km away and hundreds of residential colonies have cropped up on the then vacant land near the disaster site, overlooking pollution that the tragedy created - be it groundwater or soil contamination.
The highly toxic methyl isocyanate gas leaked from the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) plant here on the intervening night of December 2 and 3, 1984, killing 5,479 persons and maiming more than five lakh others.
Since the tragedy, the city has seen a significant population growth and urban development, including in areas surrounding the Union Carbide plant campus, as per Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India (CREDAI) Bhopal unit chief Manoj Singh Meek.
But, the industrial disaster severely dented Bhopal's development and economic Growth. Due to this disaster, Bhopal lagged behind in the race of development of state capitals. No new industrial and big business development took place in Bhopal, resulting in slow pace of the city's growth. The immediate aftermath of the disaster saw a significant number of people leaving the city due to health concerns and fear of lingering contamination.
But over the time, the population stabilized and began to grow, influenced by factors like urbanization and economic opportunities. "The area in the vicinity of Union Carbide, located in northern part of the city, must have added around 100 residential colonies and a population of three lakh during the past four decades," Manoj Singh Meek said.
