Tag: Nashik Kumbh Mela

HEXAVALENT CHROMIUM PRESENT IN GODAVARI, EXTENT STILL UNKNOWN: Institutional Apathy & Opacity Ahead of Kumbh Mela
Dams · Godavari · River Pollution

HEXAVALENT CHROMIUM PRESENT IN GODAVARI, EXTENT STILL UNKNOWN: Institutional Apathy & Opacity Ahead of Kumbh Mela

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STATEMENT AND MEMORANDUM

To:

  1. Chief Minister of Maharashtra cm@maharashtra.gov.in
  2. Chief Secretary of Maharashtra cs@maharashtra.gov.in
  3. Secretary of the Environment and Climate Change Department for the Government of Maharashtra psec.env@maharashtra.gov.in
  4. Principal Secretary, Public Health Department for the Government of Maharashtra psec.pubhealth@maharashtra.gov.in
  5. Member Secretary of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)  mscb.cpcb@nic.in
  6. Member Secretary of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) ms@mpcb.gov.in
  7. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) ceo@midcindia.org
  8. Municipal Commissioner, Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) commissioner@nmc.gov.in commissionernmc@gmail.com
  9. District Collector, Nashik collectorofficenashik@gmail.com

SUBJECT: INSTITUTIONAL APATHY & OPACITY AHEAD OF KUMBH MELA ON HEXAVALENT CHROMIUM POLLUTION IN NASHIK

Four weeks have elapsed since the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) were formally notified of acute industrial chemical contamination in the groundwater of Ambad (Dattanagar / Maruti Sankul).

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DRP 191026: India Disaster Management Must Shift from Response to Prevention
Dams, Rivers & People

DRP 191026: India Disaster Management Must Shift from Response to Prevention

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(Feature Image: A large part of residential areas witnessed severe flooding in first week of Oct. 2026 in Fazullaganj of Lucknow after heavy rains and flood in Gomti river. Source: Screenshot of FB post)

Two informative reports by Amal Chandra and Venkatesh Dutta in Down To Earth this week have once again highlighted serious gaps in India’s disaster management system. While our forecasting and response have improved in some cases, the number of disasters has also increased sharply. We often fail to understand the exact chain of events and remain reactive until the last moment. A key problem is that our system continues to focus more on response than prevention and lacks a holistic approach to disaster risk reduction.

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TOXIC EMERGENCY IN NASHIK AHEAD OF KUMBH MELA: GROUNDWATER TESTS 1,000 TIMES OVER SAFE CHROMIUM LIMITS
Godavari · River Pollution

TOXIC EMERGENCY IN NASHIK AHEAD OF KUMBH MELA: GROUNDWATER TESTS 1,000 TIMES OVER SAFE CHROMIUM LIMITS

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PRESS NOTE — FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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 got the groundwater the sample tested in an accredited lab.

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Godavari Basin in Maharashtra: A Profile
Dams · Godavari

Godavari Basin in Maharashtra: A Profile

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The river Godavari is the largest of the peninsular rivers of India. Maharashtra is home for its early flows and Godavari for Maharashtra is no less than Ganga. Referred to as Dakshin Ganga the river holds immense spiritual and cultural significance. Several places at its origin are said to be abode of Rama during the exile. These places are worshipped even today.

One of the unique aspects of this river is that it drains nearly entire East to West length of Maharashtra. And while running ceaselessly towards the Bay of Bengal the river encompasses nearly all the geographically diverse regions of the state. Originating in Western Ghats this river later traverses through the arid and dry region of Marathwada and then emerges in high rainfall region of Vidarbha. While the Upper Godavari sub basin is a part of prosperous sugar cane growing belt of Western Maharashtra; its tributaries like Manjara and Wardha-Wainganga flow through the region where there is still significant potential of local water systems.

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