Groundwater In India’s Nashik Tests 1,000 Times Over Toxic Chromium Limits Ahead Of Kumbh Mela

Yellow Toxic Water reaching local Nallah which flows into Godavari Photo- Roshan Kedar via SANDRP

By SANDRP on October 8, 2026

Laboratory testing has confirmed acute toxic contamination ongoing in Ambad, Nashik, where residential borewell water has turned bright yellow, likely due to industrial hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] from the Ambad MIDC.

Local activists Roshan Kedar, Rajesh Pandit, their team and volunteers highlighted the issue and have been consistently following up with residents. Parineeta Dandekar, SANDRP visited the site and tested the sample in an accredited lab.

The analysis reveals hexavalent chromium levels of 50.3 mg/L in the total chromium of 50.5 mg/L: surpassing the Bureau of Indian Standards drinking water limit of 0.05 mg/L by over 1,000 times. The same water contaminates Godavari through a local Nala, at a Kumbha Mela Ghat.

Hexavalent Chromium is Group 1 Human Carcinogen and these levels are Comparable to the one of the worst contaminations affecting groundwater and dependent population. The level of Hexavalent Chromium:

• Exceeds the levels at Hinkley, California (the landmark PG&E[1]/ the Erin Brockovich case)

• Matches the toxic zones of Ranipet (Tamil Nadu) and Rania (Kanpur Dehat), where untreated chromium crippled local aquifers.

Devastating Human Toll

Because of low and inconsistent supply of water from the Nashik Municipal Corporation, families here are forced to rely on this polluted water for bathing, washing clothes, and cleaning utensils are suffering severe, escalating health trauma:

• Chemical Ulcers (Chrome Holes), Rashes & Blisters: Direct contact is burning through the skin, leaving deep, slow-healing lesions. We photographed young children with backs and bodies covered in lesions.

• Young women and children are presenting with painful, swollen lymph nodes and chronic illnesses.

• Reproductive Crises: Two women in the affected settlement report suffering spontaneous miscarriages. The number can be higher. The link has to be assessed.

• Working-class families spend nearly half of their monthly income on private medical treatments, alternative accommodation and wound dressings, with no relief in sight.

Regulatory Inaction

Despite repeated complaints on multiple occasions, regulatory response has been dangerously inadequate:

• The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) issued a routine show-cause notice to only a single company on 30 Sept 2026, after media reports of yellow water emerged.

• MPCB neither made its water testing data public nor communicated it to the affected residents, leaving the community in the dark about a lethal chemical hazard.

• Toxic Threat to Godavari Ahead of Kumbh Mela

This toxic plume meets the Godavari through tributaries. With the auspicious Dhvajarohan for the Kumbh Mela scheduled for October 31, the discharge of carcinogens into Godavari represents a massive ecological disaster and an unacceptable health risk for millions of pilgrims.

Immediate Demands

Immediate Alternate Water Supply: Direct the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) and District Collectorate to cap all contaminated borewells and supply guaranteed daily domestic water tankers to the affected community immediately.

Emergency Health Camps: Deploy District Health Department medical teams to conduct free dermatological, pediatric, and obstetric screenings, and provide specialized wound care.

Transparent Industrial Crackdown: MPCB must make all testing data public and conduct a forensic, cluster-wide inspection of all electroplating, metal finishing, paint and other industries in Ambad MIDC to permanently halt illegal dumping of toxic effluents.

Aquifer Remediation: Hold responsible polluters and the irresponsible governance strictly liable under the Polluter Pays Principle to fund long-term environmental remediation and community healthcare.