News in Frames | Toxic water runs deep
Decades of industrial waste mismanagement have led to severe hexavalent chromium contamination of groundwater in parts of Uttar Pradesh, India. Despite legal interventions and health reports confirming widespread exposure, government cleanup and mitigation efforts remain slow and incomplete.
Why it matters
The ongoing environmental and health crisis highlights the failure of regulatory oversight and the severe long-term consequences of industrial pollution on rural communities.
D ecades of improper industrial waste management have contaminated groundwater with toxic hexavalent chromium across parts of three districts of Uttar Pradesh, exposing villagers to unsafe water and serious health risks.
Groundwater from handpumps glows bright yellow in different villages of these districts — a telltale sign of toxic hexavalent chromium contamination. Patches of yellow-green earth can also be seen in villages across these districts, revealing the illegal dumps and toxicity hiding beneath the surface.
The dumping started from 1976, as per the National Green Tribunal (NGT). But it was scattered across different districts at different points of time.
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