Just days before the sacred Dhvajarohan (flag hoisting) ceremony marking the commencement of Nashik's Simhastha Kumbh Mela, environmental activists and civil society groups have raised urgent alarms over severe industrial chemical contamination in Nashik’s water systems. They have accused state authorities of "institutional opacity" regarding the presence of Hexavalent Chromium [Cr(VI)]—a Group 1 human carcinogen—in local groundwater and river networks feeding the Godavari, with contamination levels recorded at over 1,000 times the permissible limit.
Released by the advocacy group, South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP), in a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, the Central and State Pollution Control Boards, and local Nashik administration officials, they have painted a grim picture of a 15-year environmental and public health failure, which is now coming to a head ahead of the massive religious gathering.
A Toxic Discovery
The crisis centers on the Ambad industrial corridor (specifically Dattanagar / Maruti Sankul), where certified testing recently confirmed Hexavalent Chromium levels in groundwater at an alarming 50.3 mg/L. This vastly surpasses the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) limit.
“Hexavalent Chromium is not supposed to be present at all in the water sources,” they emphasize.
Despite the severity of the contamination, the issue was not flagged by routine government monitoring, but rather brought to light by public interest activists and citizen-led testing. This independent testing further revealed that the toxic plume is not confined to borewells. Hexavalent Chromium has been detected beyond permissible limits in the natural nallah (drain) joining the Nandini River, and critically, at the confluence of the Nandini and the Godavari River.
“The presence of Hexavalent Chromium in flowing water bodies, even after days of closing some industries, underlines the seriousness and extent of toxic pollution,” the memorandum notes.
The Human Cost
For residents in the affected pockets, the contamination is not an abstract environmental issue but a daily health crisis. Continued reliance on this contaminated groundwater for washing and domestic needs has reportedly inflicted "deep, corrosive chemical ulcers, lymph node inflammation, and trauma on local residents, including young children," it says.
The activists point out a glaring institutional failure: Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) records establish that the board has known about chromium in the groundwater since at least 2011. "Yet over the last 15 years, there has been no targeted effort to contain or remedy it," the memorandum states.
Six-Point Charter of Demands
With the Kumbh Mela set to draw millions of pilgrims to the banks of the Godavari, the coalition of activists has issued a six-point charter of demands to the MPCB, Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC), and the District Administration, calling for immediate transparency and action:
1. Comprehensive Hydrogeological Assessmen: An immediate, credible scientific assessment detailing the full spatial extent, depth, radius, and migration trajectory of the Chromium plume across the Ambad and Satpur industrial corridors, including its impact on rivers, aquifers, soil, and agriculture.
2. Public Release of All Lab Reports: Immediate publication of all government laboratory analysis reports for water, effluent, soil, and sediment samples collected since June 2026. This includes testing for standing crops, agricultural produce, and biological samples from dairy cattle in the affected perimeter.
3. Mandatory Systemic Health Screenings: The District Health Department and NMC must conduct comprehensive biological screening (such as Whole Blood Chromium and Urine Chromium tests) for all residents showing dermal ulcerations or systemic illness, moving beyond superficial dermatological treatments.
4. Full Disclosure on Industrial Sources: Complete transparency regarding the investigation into the contamination source, including the number of inspected units, their effluent disposal mechanisms, the exact pathways of waste leakage (e.g., illegal reverse-boring or unlined holding ponds), and a confirmed list of shut-down units with details of punitive measures.
5. Historical Monitoring Data: Release of MPCB’s inspection logs, consent-to-operate records, and environmental audit histories for all "Red-Category" electroplating, metal-finishing, and pickling units in Nashik over the past five years.
6. Weekly Public Status Briefings: Transparent, weekly public bulletins updating the community on industrial audit findings, water quality results, remediation timelines, and health surveillance measures.
A Race Against Time
The timing of this revelation has added immense pressure on state authorities. The Simhastha Kumbh Mela, one of the largest religious congregations in the world, is scheduled to begin on October 31, 2026. Pilgrims traditionally take holy dips in the Godavari, making the integrity of the river’s water a matter of both public health and deep religious significance.
The memorandum concludes with a stark warning: "The health of thousands of local residents and the safety of millions of incoming pilgrims cannot be subordinated to bureaucratic delay. Withholding critical environmental and clinical public health data violates citizens’ fundamental right to clean water, health, and information."
The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board and the Nashik Municipal Corporation have not issued a public response to the allegations or the demands outlined in the memorandum. Environmental watchdogs and local residents are now awaiting immediate, enforceable action on the ground before the holy waters are declared safe for the millions expected to arrive.
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