In India, the Indian government is facing criticism for a plan to open up the site of the 1984 Bhopal disaster that killed thousands of people. India says it’s opening the plant to prove it no longer poses a threat to public safety. But critics say the plant still contains dangerous chemicals. Next month will mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Bhopal disaster. On Tuesday, victims and advocates addressed the European Parliament to call for direly needed aid to Bhopal residents. Satinath Sarangi runs a clinic in Bhopal that provides survivors of the disaster with free medical and community healthcare.

Satinath Sarangi: “I got there the day after the disaster, and I thought 'nothing could be worse.' But now I know better, because there are more than 100,000 people still chronically ill today. Add to that the next generation, the children born to gas-exposed parents, many of whom have growth and development disorders, many of whom are born with birth defects. And add to that the 25,000 to 30,000 people who live near the factory and who have been forced to drink contaminated water for the last fourteen to eighteen years.”

The Bhopal plant belonged to the US chemical company Union Carbide, which is now owned by Dow Chemical.