Nashik Desi news — 2026-10-16

Chromium at 1,000 Times Safe Limit Sickens Nashik Residents

A grave public health emergency has unfolded in the Ambad industrial area of Nashik after laboratory tests confirmed hexavalent chromium levels in residential borewell water exceeding permissible limits by over a thousand times. Down To Earth reported that the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board has ordered the closure of seventeen electroplating units in the Ambad MIDC, identified as the source of the contamination. Local campaigner Parineeta Dandekar of SANDRP arranged for borewell samples to be tested at an accredited laboratory after residents noticed their water had turned bright yellow. Results revealed hexavalent chromium at 50.3 mg/L against the Bureau of Indian Standards drinking water allowable limit of 0.05 mg/L. At least 109 residents have been diagnosed with skin ailments including blisters and non-healing ulcers, with children among the worst affected. Authorities issued a formal ban on groundwater use in the affected neighbourhood and initiated a medical screening programme. Hexavalent chromium is a confirmed carcinogen, raising fears that prolonged exposure through bathing and incidental ingestion may have seeded long-term cancer risk in the community, with residents demanding comprehensive health monitoring and accountability from industrial operators. [1]

Toxic Emergency Clouds Kumbh Mela Preparations

The South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People issued an urgent press note declaring a toxic emergency in Nashik's Ambad locality, adding significant environmental pressure to the city's preparations for the upcoming Simhastha Kumbh Mela. SANDRP's investigation confirmed hexavalent chromium contamination originating from the Ambad MIDC, an industrial zone home to hundreds of small and medium electroplating units operating in close proximity to residential areas. The contaminated water is drawn from borewells tapping the same hydrological system that feeds the Godavari river — the sacred waterway central to the Kumbh Mela at Nashik and Trimbakeshwar. SANDRP called on the Maharashtra government to enforce a full audit of industrial discharges across the entire Kumbh Mela precinct and to arrange safe alternative water supply for affected families. Local activists Roshan Kedar and Rajesh Pandit, who first identified and publicised the contamination, had been coordinating with SANDRP and pressing authorities for months before regulatory action was taken. The organisation warned that the ecological integrity of the Godavari system must be verified before millions of pilgrims converge on Nashik for the once-in-twelve-years gathering. [7]

Fadnavis Inspects Kumbh Mela Works in Nashik

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis personally inspected ongoing construction and infrastructure works for the Simhastha Kumbh Mela in Nashik and Trimbakeshwar, signalling the state government's determination to use the event as a springboard for lasting urban transformation. DD India reported Fadnavis declaring that both cities would be permanently changed by the development outlay, with major road upgrades, improved ghats along the Godavari, enhanced municipal water and sanitation infrastructure, and large-scale beautification works all under execution. The Simhastha Kumbh Mela at Nashik is one of four Kumbh rotation sites and draws tens of millions of pilgrims over its duration. State authorities are investing thousands of crores in advance preparations, framing the spending as a long-term investment in the city's infrastructure. The Chief Minister's inspection toured key construction sites and reviewed crowd management, sanitation and parking facilities. Officials from the Nashik Municipal Corporation presented progress reports indicating the majority of contracted works remain on schedule, though civil society groups noted that the chromium contamination crisis in nearby Ambad must be resolved as part of genuine pre-Kumbh environmental preparedness and cannot be treated as separate from the broader pilgrimage readiness assessment. [5]

Cancer Toxin Fears Deepen Over Nashik Groundwater

National coverage of the Nashik groundwater crisis has amplified expert warnings about the carcinogenic profile of the specific contaminant at the centre of the emergency. Deccan Chronicle cited SANDRP's findings and medical expertise to report that hexavalent chromium is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, meaning its capacity to cause cancer in humans is confirmed by scientific consensus. Health professionals noted that chromium-related diseases, including lung and kidney cancers, can develop slowly after sustained exposure, meaning the full public health impact on Ambad residents may not become apparent for years. Industrial chromium contamination of this severity typically results from improper discharge of electroplating and chrome-tanning effluents into soil and groundwater over extended periods without adequate regulatory oversight. With the Kumbh Mela drawing lakhs of pilgrims to Nashik's river precincts, advocacy groups urged a comprehensive water quality survey across the entire Godavari basin within the city limits. Municipal authorities assured residents that piped water supplied through the civic system is separately monitored and safe, but the borewell ban has heightened community anxiety and reinforced calls for industrial accountability and transparent environmental governance. [8]

Sources: [1] Down To Earth · [7] South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People · [5] DD India · [8] Deccan Chronicle