In which year did the Bhopal gas tragedy occur?
- (a)1982
- (b)1986
- (c)1984
- (d)1980
Correct — C, 1984. On the night of 2-3 December 1984, toxic methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas leaked from the Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, killing thousands and injuring hundreds of thousands — widely regarded as the world's worst industrial disaster.
- (a)1982 — Two years too early — the Union Carbide plant's MIC leak had not yet occurred.
- (b)1986 — Two years too late — the leak, and its immediate aftermath, had already happened by December 1984.
- (d)1980 — Too early by four years — the tragedy struck in December 1984, not 1980.
The Bhopal gas tragedy was caused by a leak of methyl isocyanate (MIC), a highly toxic intermediate used to manufacture the pesticide carbaryl, at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) plant. Water entering an MIC storage tank triggered an uncontrolled exothermic reaction that forced the gas out through a faulty safety-relief system over the sleeping city of Bhopal.
MPPSC frequently tests dates and core facts of Madhya Pradesh-specific events. Anchor the chain: Bhopal + MIC gas + Union Carbide + night of 2-3 December = 1984.
- Date: night of 2-3 December 1984
- Toxic gas: Methyl Isocyanate (MIC)
- Plant: Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL), Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
- Widely regarded as the world's worst industrial disaster
- Confusing the year with adjacent option years (1982/1986/1980)
- Mixing up the Bhopal MIC leak with unrelated industrial accidents
MPPSC asks the year/gas/company as a direct factual recall; UPSC tends to embed it inside 'which disaster led to environmental legislation X' questions.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The toxic gas that leaked from the Union Carbide plant in the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy was:
- (a)Methyl Isocyanate (MIC)
- (b)Chlorine gas
- (c)Carbon monoxide
- (d)Sulphur dioxide
Answer(a) Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) — leaked from the Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Bhopal gas tragedy directly prompted the enactment of which umbrella central legislation?
- (a)Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974
- (b)Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981
- (c)Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
- (d)Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
Answer(c) Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 — enacted as an umbrella environmental law after Bhopal.