I-Mercury Inetyhefu eyagula iDolophu yaseJapan yonke
Kwaqala ngeekati zedolophu. Phakathi no-1950, abantu baseMinamata, eJapane baqala ukuqaphela ukuba iikati zabo zazihlambalaza zawela elwandle. Abanye abantu bacinga ukuba iikati zazizibulala.
Kungekudala emva koko, kubonakala ukuba kukho ukungaqhelekanga ukuhamba malunga nedolophu. Abantu baseMinamata babika ingqungquthela kwimilenze yabo nasemilonyeni. Abanye babenzima ukuva okanye ukubona.
Abanye bathuthuzela ( ukuthuthumela ) kwiingalo zabo nasemilenzeni, ukuhamba nzima, kunye nokulimala kwengqondo. Kwaye, njengamakati, abanye abantu babonakala behamba ngobuqhophololo, bememeza ngokungalawulekiyo. Into eye yachaphazela inkqubo yabo yeentetho .
Ekugqibeleni, ngoJulayi 1959, abaphandi baseYunivesithi yaseKimamoto bafumene umthombo wesifo-amanqanaba aphezulu eetyhefu - awathetha ngokuthi yi-Minamata. Kodwa bonke aba bantu (kunye neekati) babesetyhefu njani?
Intlekele yeMinamata
I-Minamata yidolophu encinci yokuloba elunxwemeni lolwandle lwaseShiranui. Ngenxa yendawo yalo, abantu basezidolophini badla ininzi yentlanzi. Ukutya kweentlanzi zabantu kunye neekati zaseMinamata kubonakala ngathi zihamba ngokufanayo phakathi kwazo zibonakalisa iimpawu, ezikhokelela ukuba izazinzulu zityhola ukuba intlanzi yaseMinamata Bay isetyhefu.
Isityalo esikhulu se-petrochemical eMinamata, esaphathwa yiChisiso Corporation, saxelwa ngokukhawuleza.
UChisiso wayenqabe izibango kwaye waqhubeka nokuvelisa ngaphandle kokutshintsha indlela yokuvelisa. UChisiso waqhubeka nokukhanyela ukubandakanyeka kwayo okanye ukuba inkunkuma yakhe ye-mercury yayibangela ukugula. (Kamva kwafumanisa ukuba i-Chisso Corporation ilahlekise iitoni ezingama-27 ze-mercury e-Minamata Bay.)
Njengoko i-mercury yokulahla iqhubekile, abetyetyhini babelala iintsana ezinetyhefu. La bantwana bazalwa benokukhubazeka okukhulu kuquka imilenze egciniweyo, ukulibala kwengqondo, ukungaboniyo, nokuphunga.
Abalobi baseMinamata baqala ukukrokra iChisso Corporation ngo-1959. Bathi uChisiso ayeke ukulahla inkunkuma eyingozi kwaye ahlawule izifo zabo. UChisiso, wazama ukwenza amacandelo nabantu abathintekayo ngetyhefu ye-mercury basebenzise amaxwebhu omthetho abethetha ukuba aya kubahlawulela abantu ngenxa yezifo zabo kodwa abaza kwamkela iimbopheleleko zangoku okanye ezizayo. Abantu abaninzi babecinga ukuba yithuba labo kuphela ekufumaneni nayiphi na intlawulo, kwaye basayina amaphepha.
Ukubuyisela kwi-Minimata Poisoning
UChisso wagqiba ukuyeka utyhefu ngamanzi ka-Minimata ngo-1968. Ngoburhulumente waseJapan, abantu abayi-2,955 bafumana isifo seMinamata kunye nabantu abayi-1,784 bafa. Abaphengululi bakholelwa ukuba, ukuba i-criteria eyenziwa nguRhulumente ukuxilonga izifo zakwaMinamata ziqine kakhulu, kwaye nabani na obonisa nayiphi na inqanaba lokukhubazeka kwemvakalelo kufuneka bathathwe njengexhoba. Kuza kube namhlanje, uKhisso uye wahlawula imali ngaphezu kwabantu abayi-10 000 kwaye uyaqhubeka ebandakanyeka kwizinto ezifanelekileyo malunga nalo mbandela.
Ngo-Oktobha 1982, abameli be-40 bafungisa ngokumelene noorhulumente waseJapan, besithi behlulekile ukuyeka iChisso ekungcoliseni imvelo kwaye ngokuqinisekileyo yayibheke ngenye indlela ngoxa i-Chisso iphula imithetho yokungcola.
Ngo-Ephreli 2001, iNkundla ePhakamileyo yase-Osaka yazimisela ukuba iNkonzo yezeMpilo kunye neNtlalontle kufuneka iqalise ukuthatha isinyathelo sokulawula ukuyeka utyhefu ekupheleni kuka-1959 emva kokuba abaphandi baphetha ngokuthi izifo zakwaMinamata zabangelwa yi-poisonous mercury. Inkundla yabuye yathi i-Chisso ukuhlawula i-$ 2.18 yezigidi kumonakalo kwabamangalelwa.
Ngo-Oktobha 16, 2004, iNkundla ePhakamileyo yaseJapan yalela urhulumente ukuba ahlawule i-yen yezigidi ezingama-71,5 (i-dollar 703,000) kwimonakalo kwixhoba le-Minamata. UMphathiswa wezeNdalo ugobile ngokuxolisa kubamangaleli. Emva kweminyaka engama-22, abamangaleli bafezekise injongo yabo yokwenza abo bajongene neyona nkalo ebaluleke kakhulu yaseJapan yokuhlawula ukungcola kwezoshishino.
Ngo-2010, uKhisso wayalelwa ukuba ahlawule i-yen yezigidi ezingama-2, kunye nezibonelelo zonyango zanyanga zonke kwalabo abangazange baqinisekiswe okokuqala ngurhulumente. Abantu abangaphezu kwama-50,000 bafake isicelo sokufumana le ntlawulo, kubonisa ukuba, ngaphaya kweminyaka engama-50 kamva, iziphumo zentlekele zisacinga.
> Imithombo:
IYunivesithi yaseMerika, iSikole seNkonzo yamazwe ngamazwe. Inkathazo yaseMinamata.
Kyodo News. Izigulane zezifo zeMinamata ezingamangaleli urhulumente. IJapan Namhlanje, ngo-Oktobha 17, 2004.
I-Mizoguchi, K. Imiyalelo yenkohlakalo eyayihlawulwa kumaxhoba angamaxhoba aseJapan. I-Boston Globe, ngo-Oktobha 16, 2004.
Olson, iDa (2002). Mercury. eMedicine.
Tanaka, F. Ukungabi nantlonelo kucace kwimeko yeMinamata. Daily Yomiuri.
IJapan Times. Imvumelwano yeMercury iyancipha kuMinamata (2012)