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Janhit Foundation
180/7 Shastri Nagar,
Near Rangoli Mandap,
Meerut, Uttar Pradesh
India

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Daurala Study

Daurala is a small town in the suburb of Meerut district, with an approximate population of about 20,000 people. At the centre of the town are three major industries - Daurala Sugar Mill & Distillery, Daurala Organics and Daurala Chemicals. Over the past decade, residents of the vicinity of these industries have been complaining of many serious and debilitating illnesses including cancer, epidermal diseases, gastrointestinal diseases, respiratory diseases, kidney and gall bladder stones and Alzheimer disease which are very common there.

Preliminary analysis of groundwater sourced drinking water conducted by Janhit Foundation in 2003 at the Pollution Monitoring Laboratory of Center for Science and Environment (CSE), New Delhi clearly indicated the presence of Aluminum (Al) at elevated levels, and highly increased levels of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) (up to 2600 mg/l). On the basis of these findings, a more detailed study was undertaken to evaluate quality of groundwater drinking water samples, the chemical composition of the industrial effluents discharged by the hazardous waste industries and the effects of industrial waste sludge disposal on nearby agricultural land.

The Chairman of the Blacksmith Institute, New York and his colleagues visited the affected area in May 2004. The team met the suffering local community and discussed health concerns with medical practitioners and the executives of the hazardous waste industries. They also raised the severe health problems of the local community with the U.P. State Pollution Control Board (UPSPCB) officials who bear responsibility for regulating industrial discharges. The results of a number of drinking water, wastewater, sludge, and agricultural soil samples have confirmed the presence of the heavy metals, including arsenic, lead and cyanide at levels far above the maximum permitted within safe drinking water. Contaminated drinking water is therefore clearly linked to the serious illnesses exhibited by the local population.

Daurala: Hell on Earth - a Study Report by Janhit Foundation

The 'Daurala: Hell on Earth' is a complete study for wastewater, drinking water, sludge, agricultural soil and human health which was initiated in July 2004 with the support from New York based the Blacksmith Institute (U.S.A.). Initially, the study focused on testing of presence of the heavy metals in the samples. The tests were conducted at the Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (I.I.T), Roorkee. The study has revealed alarming levels of heavy metals, even some carcinogens, in the samples that were being tested. The samples were collected from the vicinity of hazardous industries such as Daurala Organics and Daurala Chemicals. Untreated industrial effluent was being discharged through open drains and collected in unlined settlement lagoons. Local farmers were encouraged to use this industrial effluent wastewater for irrigation of their crops without being informed of the heavy contamination of this industrial effluent with toxic heavy metals. Approximately 15,000 residents in Daurala village were using this effluent for crop irrigation leading to the build up of high levels of heavy metals within the soil and subsequently in food crops. The heavy metals found in the agricultural fields of Daurala have detected Lead (Pb) as high as 310 ppm, which is more than the double value of the normal permissible limit of 150 ppm. In few other samples this value is 270.0 ppm and 220.0 ppm respectively. The community has few other sources of local food and so has been consuming highly contaminated crops for many years. Residents of Daurala are therefore subject to heavy metal contamination through both contaminated drinking water and food. Cyanide (CN) has also been detected in some of the samples, which is lethal for the humans even in minute quantity. Even the fodder for the animal husbandry has not been spared from the heavy metal pollution since these deadly heavy metals have entered the entire food chain as well.

It is assumed that over the years the untreated industrial effluent that has been held in unlined surface settlement lagoons, and used as crop irrigation, has leached through the soil into the groundwater causing the contamination seen. Both the shallow handpumps and deeper tubewells have shown evidence of contamination by Lead, Arsenic and other heavy metals. The effects of long term exposure to arsenic can have serious consequences for human health. Health effects include irritation of the stomach and intestines, decreased production of red and white blood cells, dermatitis and lung irritation. Uptake of arsenic (As) can intensify the chances of skin cancer, lung cancer, liver cancer and lymphatic cancer. Arsenic spreads quickly. Plants absorb arsenic easily, so that high ranging concentrations maybe present in food as a result of using this contaminated waster for irrigation purposes.

The rising number of cancer patients and their deaths, along with increased levels of dermatitis establishes the fact that this is due to the presence of arsenic (As) in ground water. Presence of lead (Pb) in large quantity in Daurala drinking water and agricultural soil samples has established the fact that the community is compelled to consume unsafe drinking water and poisonous agricultural products. The large number of cases of disruption of the biosynthesis of haemoglobin and anaemic people, patients suffering from kidney problems and cases of rise in blood pressure confirms the reason for various ailments in Daurala. Even drinking water samples collected from 3-4 kms distance from the hazardous industries such as Jhal Hotel located at the National Highway confirms the presence of lead (Pb) contents many times more than the desirable limit. Presence of lead (Pb) in the deep groundwater in the area poses a serious threat to the contamination of deep-water aquifers. Lead (Pb) is very dangerous element and it can accumulate in an individual along with the entire food chain. The rise in the number of deaths due to cancer, particularly thyroid cancer, and the rise in their number of cases with passing years, have confirmed that apart from other metals Lead (Pb), which is a carcinogen, is responsible for these deaths. Hence, a detailed door-to-door health study was also conduced by the organization. The findings confirmed 192 deaths and more than 1000 people seriously gripped in the clutches of serious ailments.

Janhit Foundation's Success: Forcing the Industry to Act

The industries have spent approximately 10 million rupees in remedial action by the end of 2006 in line with the polluter pays principle. Action taken involves the provision of additional and more effective drinking water storage facility so that drinking water is available locally, reducing the need of residents to travel some distance to find clean water. Rainwater harvesting techniques and restoration of a surface water pond have been employed as an alternative source of drinking water and also to help recharge and dilute groundwater with uncontaminated water. The waste water lagoons of the Industries have been cemented and a local dispensary in the village has been established. The industry has also laid down an additional 1.5 km. long pipeline within the village to provide safe drinking water to the community.

Janhit Foundation was therefore able to shame industry into taking action that results in tangible beneficial results for local residents and environmental improvement, avoiding the delays that would invariably occur if industry were to act only if forced by government officials – a first for an independent non-governmental organization's efforts in such a manner.