International Journal of Disaster Risk Managemen (IJDRM)

International Journal of Disaster Risk Management is a peer-reviewed (twice a year) journal serves all aspects of disaster studies, policy, and management. It provides a platform for academics, policymakers and practitioners to publish high-quality research and practice concerning natural disasters, anthropogenic disasters, complex political emergencies and crises around the world. View - http://internationaljournalofdisasterriskmanagement.com/index.php/Vol1/about

Tracing Forty Years of Research on the Bhopal Gas Tragedy: Trends, Themes, and Future Directions

Authors

Adarsh Thankappan
Haneena Sulthana Kuzhichalil Ponnambath

Abstract

The Bhopal Gas Tragedy stands as a defining moment in the history of industrial disasters, prompting ongoing global discourse on public health, environmental safety, and corporate accountability. This study aims to systematically map and evaluate the scholarly landscape of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy over 40 years (1984–2024), offering a longitudinal perspective on the evolution, diffusion, and thematic transformation of research in this critical area. A total of 301 documents were analyzed, revealing fluctuating yet enduring scholarly engagement, with notable publication peaks corresponding to key anniversaries of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy. The findings show a clear thematic evolution from early technical and toxicological investigations focused on chemical causes and health effects to more holistic perspectives encompassing industrial safety, environmental sustainability, and disaster governance. In recent years, research has increasingly integrated themes of public health, psychosocial resilience, and environmental justice, reflecting a shift from reactive crisis response to preventive and adaptive frameworks. Factorial analysis further identified three dominant thematic clusters: institutional and technical management of the disaster, long-term health and environmental outcomes, and occupational or exposure-related risks. The bibliometric insights derived from this study advance understanding of industrial disasters by illustrating how Bhopal-related research has transitioned from immediate impact analyses to broader explorations of systemic governance and resilience. The significant implication of this work is the highlighting of the growing incorporation of environmental regulation, community preparedness, and psychosocial recovery into disaster management frameworks. This evidence-based synthesis clarifies the field's intellectual structure. It provides actionable guidance for policymakers and safety professionals, emphasizing the need for stronger preventive strategies, inter-agency collaboration, and resilience-building initiatives in industrial risk governance.

Keywords: Bhopal gas tragedy; bibliometric analysis; industrial disaster; public health; research trends

Publication details

International Journal of Disaster Risk Management (IJDRM), Vol. 8, No. 1 (2026), pp. 31-54.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.66050/k5sxgr16

Read the full open-access article:
https://internationaljournalofdisasterriskmanagement.com/index.php/Vol1/article/view/184

Download PDF:
https://internationaljournalofdisasterriskmanagement.com/index.php/Vol1/article/view/184/201

Suggested citation

Thankappan, A., & Ponnambath, H. S. K. (2026). Tracing Forty Years of Research on the Bhopal Gas Tragedy: Trends, Themes, and Future Directions. International Journal of Disaster Risk Management, 8(1), 31-54. https://doi.org/10.66050/k5sxgr16

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About IJDRM

International Journal of Disaster Risk Management (IJDRM) is a double-blind peer-reviewed (twice a year), open-access journal that serves all aspects of disaster studies, policy, and management. It provides a platform for academics, policymakers, and practitioners to publish high-quality research and practice concerning natural disasters, anthropogenic disasters, complex political emergencies, and crises around the world. The publisher is Scientific-Professional Society for Disaster Risk Management, Belgrade, Serbia - link. The founder of the journal is Assist. Prof. Vladimir M. Cvetković from the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Security Studies - link ISSN (printed edition) 2620-2662, ISSN (electronic edition) 2620-2786, UDC: 614.8.069 Submission of the articles doesn't involve article processing charges (APCs) neither submission charges. The journal crosses and affects interdisciplinary boundaries to promote communication, collaboration, and teamwork between professions and disciplines to avoid (prevention) or to limit (mitigation and preparedness) the adverse impacts of hazards, within the broad context of sustainable development. The journal encourages the interchange of ideas and experience, to decrease the risk of disasters and build community resilience within the context of sustainable development and planetary boundaries. This is an open-access journal which means that all content is freely available without charge to the user or his/her institution. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. Keywords Disasters, disaster risk management, natural disaster, technological disaster, emergency situations, crisis management, theory and practice, mitigation, preparedness, hazards, policy, natural, complex, emergencies, political, aid, relief, developing, humanitarian, field, reports, refugee, journal, research, analysis, review. This journal permits and encourages authors to post items submitted to the journal on personal websites or institutional repositories both prior to and after publication while providing bibliographic details that credit, if applicable, its publication in this journal. International Journal of Disaster Risk Management (IJDRM) allows authors to deposit publisher's version/PDF in an institutional repository, research gate, Academia.edu, and non-commercial subject-based repositories, or to publish it on Author's personal website (including social networking sites) and/or departmental website, at any time after publication in compliance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial – NoDerrivatives 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). The Publisher's copyright and source must be acknowledged and a link must be made to the article's DOI (HTML link). Journal will cover all aspects of disaster risk management from a global perspective, including but not limited to: Disaster and crisis management theory and practice, Risk awareness and assessment, Hazard and vulnerability analysis, Knowledge development including education, training, research, and information on disasters, Public commitment and institutional frameworks, including organizational, policy, legislation, and community action, Disaster prevention, mitigation, response, recovery planning, policies, and implementation, Promotes the interchange of ideas between practitioners, policy-makers, and academics. Submission Process Authors are kindly invited to submit their formatted full papers. All paper submissions will be blind peer-reviewed and evaluated based on originality, research content, correctness, relevance to conference, and readability (reviewer form). Please read the complete submission and formatting guidelines before submitting your paper. Please, use the template for writing the article - link and guidelines for contributors - link Papers that are not adapted to the form will be rejected. You can submit your paper through the following - http://internationaljournalofdisasterriskmanagement.com/index.php/Vol1/about/submissions

Editor-in-Chief - Assist. Prof. Vladimir M. Cvetković

Vladimir M. Cvetkovic is the Assis. Prof. (Disaster Risk Management) at the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Security, and has been engaged in research in the field of disaster studies for 15 years. He has published over 250 research papers and 20 scientific monographs. He is the founder of the Scientific Professional Society for Disaster Risk Management in Serbia, the International Institute for Disaster Research, and Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Disaster Risk Management.

International Journal of Disaster Risk Managemen (IJDRM)

International Journal of Disaster Risk Management (IJDRM)

Tracing Forty Years of Research on the Bhopal Gas Tragedy: Trends, Themes, and Future Directions

Authors

Abstract

Publication details

Suggested citation

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