August 05, 2015

Kodaikanal won't

tags:	#Koidakanal, #mercury poisoning, #Sofia Ashraf, #Unilever
by:	Deniz Zehra Tavli

Indian rapper Sofia Ashraf campaigns against Unilever claiming that the British-Dutch "multi" poisoned the soil and water of her town Kodaikanal with mercury. Mercury is a poisonous metal and India has no way of processing it.

The workers of Unilever's local thermometer assembly plant in Kodaikanal did not get any protective equipment or information about the disastrous impact that mercury has on health. The factory owned by Hindustan Unilever also dumped toxic mercury around their plant, and this has not been cleaned up in the 14 years since this plant was shut down. The contamination continues to impact forests and groundwater.

The workers cannot afford private healthcare. They have been fighting for Unilever to clean up the toxic contamination and compensate them for their medical expenses as a result of mercury for many long years. Unilever denies responsibility, dismissing scientific papers and the experiences of people from the area.

Now activists from Koidakanal urge Unilever to finally take responsability for the damage caused by their greed of profit. Support their demands by signing the petition!