Every year, India marks the National Pollution Control Day on December 2. The day is observed in the memory of the people who lost their lives in the Bhopal Gas Tragedy. The National Pollution Control Day is celebrated in India to make the citizens aware of laws that exist in India that help to contain pollution.

Objectives of National Pollution Control Day

• To create awareness in increasing air pollution
• To educate people on controlling and managing industrial disasters.
• To make everyone aware of pollution control acts in the country
• To create awareness on ways to reduce the level of pollution
• To prevent industrial pollution that is caused by human negligence

Bhopal gas tragedy

The Bhopal gas tragedy occurred on December 2nd and 3rd, 1984. During the accident poisonous chemical methyl isocyanate leaked from a pesticide plant union carbide India Limited in Bhopal. This exposed more than 500 thousand people to the poisonous gas. Around 2259 people died immediately. Later the Government of India announced that the tragedy killed around 25,000 people. It was considered as the biggest industrial disaster in the world.