depressed even. especially to realize that if you are poor in Chennai and you are breathing unsafe levels of benzene, xylene, toluene, styrene, 1,2 dichloroethane, methylene chloride, and the list goes on and on, there is no recourse. nowhere better for you to go, no process to assert your rights, scarcely any organizations that will lend themselves to your cause. Why? because we live in a world where money rules. and a lack of it means you may live next to a garbage dump, or over 250 polluting, non-regulated, oh-my-goodess you have no idea the stink that exists in Northern Chennai. a place called Manali, and breathe in such a long list of chemicals every day as you are working to survive, eat, feed your kids, send them to school, put clothes on your family's back that even beginning to protest, to even begin to think about what these smells, so varied and stinky and suffocating are doing to you and yours, regardless of respiratory disorders, menstrual problems, growth retardation in the babies, you are too scared to raise your voice.
too fearful because in this country, corporations are king and poor human beings are just in the way.
(pic 1&2:black smoke coming out of smoke stacks)
(pic3&4: 40,000 people live next to the 250 stinky industries, which include 2 refineries, fertilizer and polymer manufacturing)
After just a few hours of touring these sites, my throat is sore and my head is pounding. I can't begin to imagine what it is like to call these places home. But that doesn't sit well - many of these polluters are multi-national corporations that come out of, where else? the US. We are exporting waste and toxins and essentially sickness and despair to other parts of the world, simply because we can. no wonder i'm depressed.
garbage burning... little kids often die scavenging for recyclables
no wonder they like krumpin...!
1 comment:
Sorry to hear how tough of a time you both are having. Your descriptions and images are disturbing and truly heart wrenching. It's so sad to see people living under such horrendous conditions trying to survive. India's greatest asset, it's people, appear to also be one of it's least cared for. I commend you both for shedding light on the high cost others pay for the low prices in the US. Keep up the good work and hold your breathe as long as you can!
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