Annu Tandon from Unnao in UP has been fighting a lone battle to force tanneries to switch over to new technologies in order to reduce the pollution in both rivers and underground water sources in her constituency.

Excerpts from an interview:

Q: You have been fighting to force tannery owners to switch over to new technologies?
A: Ever since I became an MP, I have been in constant dialogue with tannery owners to desist from using salt to preserve raw hide. At present, the leather-processing units located primarily in the Ganga river basin in Jaimau and Unnao are using around 3,000 tonnes of salt each day to preserve 5,000 tonnes of raw hide. This salt finds its way into
the Ganga and is polluting both our national river and a number of other rivers flowing in this area. The groundwater here has also become polluted.
I have had studies conducted both by the Institute of Toxicology in Lucknow and the Central Water Pollution Board (CWPB). Both these reports confirm that the effluents discharged by the industries are major sources of pollution. Jaimau has 400 units and Unnao has 64 units. Very high concentrates of chromium are found in the ground water of Unnao and in Kanpur district. Water in the Lone river is so contaminated that even animals can no longer drink it. The people in my constituency are dying and yet the state government refuses to take action.

Q: What results did the CWPB study throw up ?
A: Forty-five water samples were collected from different sources and they were all found to be polluted. The Allahabad high court has directed that there should be no further discharge of effluents in the Ganga but this has not happened. You see, once the salt goes into the effluent plant, it will not allow any biodegradable treatment to take place.
I then took my case to both former minister of forest and environment Jairam Ramesh and minister of commerce Anand Sharma asking for their help. Jairam was very helpful.
The Central Pollution Control Board had been promoting the technology called the lyophilliser which helps promote salt-free preservation of hides. The lyophilliser takes the water away from the skin under refrigerated conditions. In fact, Jairam even visited Kanpur in 2010 and got one installed there which I understand is working successfully. Anand Sharma is willing to provide subsidies to the tanneries to help them switch over to this new technology. Each lyophilliser will cost over `50 lakh. But this price is something the tannery owners can afford because their profits are running into thousands of crores. I am sure that if the state government had wanted to get this alternative technology implemented, the tanneries would have abided by its decision.

Q: Recently, there was a controversy around the lyophilliser?
A: Yes, I also read about it. Our emphasis should be to clean up our rivers and our
drinking water sources. If the government is not happy on this technology, they are free to promote another. All we are concerned with is getting clean drinking water.
Every test, conducted by governmental and non-governmental agencies confirms the presence of dangerous levels of toxicity in our water. That, in turn, has resulted in a manifold increase in diseases in my constituency. Unnao reports some of the highest levels of cancer. The disability numbers in the last few years have shot up to 15 per cent of the population. The thoughtless and indiscriminate manner in which industries have been allowed to mushroom here has devastated both the human and animal population.
There are life-threatening chemicals to be found in the city drains from where they make their way into the water systems. The irrigation department should have taken this matter up but they are so corrupt that all our complaints have gone unheard.