NGT Probe: Toxic metals from Kanpur tanneries causing brain, lung problems in residents

Some of the key recommendations and directions of the NGT include blood sampling in polluted areas of Kanpur city and rural areas, heavy metal analysis of chromium, mercury, and fluoride, improvement in the government hospital infrastructure to include multi-speciality diagnostic facilities and government and preparing an action plan for special medical aid facility for victims of heavy metal contamination.

A bench headed by chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, judicial member Arun Kumar Tyagi, and expert member Afroz Ahmad passed the January 30 order.

“We have taken note of the latest reply of the Secretary, Medical Health and Family Welfare, Government of UP dated 21.01.2015, where he has stated that the Medical Health and Family Welfare Department had initiated health camps in the suspected areas, including Rakhi Mandi, Afeem Kothi in Kanpur Nagar and these camps reveal high levels of mercury and chromium in the blood samples of the residents requiring immediate medical intervention,” the NGT’s order said, taking on record the UP health department’s findings.

The order added that similar camps were organised in Kanpur Dehat, where widespread health issues, including “respiratory ailments, neurological disorders, behavioural changes, and skin conditions”, were identified. The report also said that J K Cancer Institute in Kanpur Nagar lacks in-house facilities for heavy metal testing. “As per this report, health camps and surveys had identified high levels of chromium exposure among residents,” the order recorded.

Based on the report of the amicus and NGT’s directions, the UP Government will also carry out surveys and mapping studies on sources of chromium, mercury, fluoride, and iron in the ecosystem, a survey of old and new chromium, mercury and ash dump sites. It will carry out a survey of people, cattle, and the food chain to check the extent of heavy metal contamination to prepare remediation plans.

The UP Government, based on the suggestion of the amicus, will engage the Indian Council of Medical Research, Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow, Central Groundwater Board, Central Pollution Control Board and All India Institute of Medical Sciences for the surveys and mapping studies.

Since 2019, NGT has been overseeing the implementation of scientific handling and disposal of chromium dumps at Rania, Kanpur Dehat, and Rakhi Mandi, Kanpur Nagar, which have existed in Kanpur since 1976, causing groundwater contamination. In the same batch of cases, it has also been monitoring the discharge of industrial effluents from the Jajmau tannery cluster.

However, last year, NGT permitted the amicus to undertake a ground visit to assess the situation and report the glaring issues of pollution and public health to the Tribunal. This prompted NGT to make the UP Health Department a party to the case.

There are 400 tanneries in Jajmau, Kanpur, established in 1946, and they are spread over an area of approximately 7.431 sq kilometre area within 50 metre to 1.0 km distance from the Ganga, as per details submitted to the court. The smallest tannery is 100 sq metre area and the largest is 34,500 sq metre area.