By a correspondent | November, 2002

Hazardous toxics have been discovered in the Ganga in the north Indian city of Kanpur.

	Hazardous toxicants present in tannery waste streams of Kanpur and Unnao

The Eco-friends environment group in Kanpur has conducted an independent assessment of the types and kinds of hazardous toxicants present in tannery waste streams in the Jajmau area in Kanpur and Unnao. Detailed tests of post treated sewage irrigation water; raw municipal sewage and post-treated tannery effluents of Combined Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) were carried out in collaboration with Indian Institute of Technology.

The results were startling.

The presence of arsenic, cadmium, mercury, nickel and chromium VI, not known to be present till now in the tannery waste streams, has been detected at an alarmingly high level in underground water (Appendix II). "Treated sewage irrigation water is supplied to the farmers in the vicinity of Jajmau and Post Treated tannery effluents from the CETP at Unnao. These toxics are wreaking havoc with both the environment and public health in Jajmau," the NGO says.

Their report has been sent to all pollution control agencies in India as well as to the highest offices in the land. Eco-friends is also in touch with the appropriate authorities to press for urgent remedial action. "The instance is yet another example of mindless industrialisation sans responsibility being pursued in most parts of India," says Rakesh Jaiswal of Eco-friends.

Researchers working on this case feel that there is an urgent need to comprehensively investigate the entire production cycle of the tanneries to identify the sources of the toxics in the tannery waste streams and take urgent steps to eliminate them. "If the Ganga Action Plan is to be effective in its promise of tackling pollution at Kanpur, serious issues of the poisoning of Ganga waters from the highly polluting leather industries need to be ironed out," states Dr. Biplove Chaudhry, also of Eco-friends. "It is also a moot point whether government should continue to engage itself in the cleaning of the unending mess of the polluting tanneries at the cost of the public exchequer, rather than play its role as an effective regulating agency."

Myths and realities of Ganga Action Plan
Facilities have been created under the Ganga Action Plan to intercept, divert and treat 160 mld (million litres per day) of sewage and 9 mld of tannery effluents in Kanpur. Three treatment plants have been set up (5 mld Sewage Treatment plant, STP, 36 mld Combined Effluent Treatment Plant, CETP and 130 mld STP) in Kanpur. The post treated water is being utilized either for irrigation of farmlands in the Jajmau region of Kanpur or is discharged into the River Ganga.

At Jajmau, the post treated sewage irrigation water being supplied to the farmland has led to widespread contamination of food chains, sharp decline in productivity of food crops, soil, vegetables, livestock and even milk; contamination of underground water meant for drinking purposes with attendant grave public health implications.

Also, the post-treated sewage water has been causing damage to the river ecology and public health; aquatic life in the river is being threatened (frequent fish kills are often reported) and the river water quality is being degraded.

Extensive testing
So Eco-friends commissioned the Facility for Ecological and Analytical Testing at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Kanpur to conduct extensive tests to determine hazardous toxics in these categories:

• Raw tannery effluents;
  
  
• Raw Kanpur municipal sewage;
  
  
• Post treated water (mix of tannery effluents and Kanpur city sewage) used either for irrigation or routed to the Ganga and
  
  
• Post treated tannery effluents being generated from the Combined Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) at Unnao.