Laboratory testing of groundwater at Ambad in Maharashtra's Nashik has found acute toxic contamination, with levels of the cancer-linked toxin hexavalent chromium more than 1,000 times higher than safety limits — raising alarm ahead of the Kumbh Mela, which will draw millions of pilgrims to the city.
Bright yellow borewell water
The findings come from the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP), which said in a press note released on October 8 that residential borewell water in Ambad had turned bright yellow. The accredited laboratory analysis found hexavalent chromium at 50.3 mg/L against the Bureau of Indian Standards' drinking water limit of 0.05 mg/L — over a thousand times the permissible level.
Hexavalent chromium is classified as a Group 1 human carcinogen. SANDRP noted that the recorded levels exceed those at the centre of the landmark Erin Brockovich case in Hinkley, California, several times over.
Residents report skin damage, blisters
According to the network, the contaminated water has caused skin and other health problems among residents. It said children and women in the affected settlement suffered chemical ulcers, rashes and blisters, while young women and children reported painful, swollen lymph nodes and chronic illnesses. Two women in the settlement reported spontaneous miscarriages — though SANDRP itself cautioned that the link between the contamination and these cases still has to be properly assessed.
The network said many Ambad residents had been forced to consume and rely on the contaminated water because of low and inconsistent supply from the Nashik Municipal Corporation, and described the regulatory response as inadequate despite repeated complaints.
The likely source of the chemical, according to SANDRP, is electroplating, metal finishing, paint and other industries in the Ambad Maharashtra Industries Development Corporation (MIDC) zone.
Threat to pilgrims and the Godavari
The contamination is also entering the Godavari river through a local drain, the network said — at a stretch that includes ghats where the Kumbh Mela will soon be organised, posing what it called a potential health risk to millions of pilgrims.
Sources:
- ThePrint (PTI): Groundwater near Kumbh Mela site in Nashik shows high levels of cancer-linked toxin
- SANDRP: Toxic emergency in Nashik ahead of Kumbh Mela
Bright yellow borewell water
The findings come from the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP), which said in a press note released on October 8 that residential borewell water in Ambad had turned bright yellow. The accredited laboratory analysis found hexavalent chromium at 50.3 mg/L against the Bureau of Indian Standards' drinking water limit of 0.05 mg/L — over a thousand times the permissible level.
Hexavalent chromium is classified as a Group 1 human carcinogen. SANDRP noted that the recorded levels exceed those at the centre of the landmark Erin Brockovich case in Hinkley, California, several times over.
Residents report skin damage, blisters
According to the network, the contaminated water has caused skin and other health problems among residents. It said children and women in the affected settlement suffered chemical ulcers, rashes and blisters, while young women and children reported painful, swollen lymph nodes and chronic illnesses. Two women in the settlement reported spontaneous miscarriages — though SANDRP itself cautioned that the link between the contamination and these cases still has to be properly assessed.
The network said many Ambad residents had been forced to consume and rely on the contaminated water because of low and inconsistent supply from the Nashik Municipal Corporation, and described the regulatory response as inadequate despite repeated complaints.
The likely source of the chemical, according to SANDRP, is electroplating, metal finishing, paint and other industries in the Ambad Maharashtra Industries Development Corporation (MIDC) zone.
Threat to pilgrims and the Godavari
The contamination is also entering the Godavari river through a local drain, the network said — at a stretch that includes ghats where the Kumbh Mela will soon be organised, posing what it called a potential health risk to millions of pilgrims.
Sources:
- ThePrint (PTI): Groundwater near Kumbh Mela site in Nashik shows high levels of cancer-linked toxin
- SANDRP: Toxic emergency in Nashik ahead of Kumbh Mela
