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Kanpur: A city being killed by pollution

North Indian city famed for its tanneries is being choked by untreated effluents that are blighting its population.

Karan Ishad (5) of Jana village in Jajmau area is a neurological patient with physical and mental deformities since his birth. These kinds of diseases are very common in the villages around Jajmau area. The local media and doctors relate it with chromium contamination. Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India.

By Arindam Mukherjee

Published On 6 Oct 2013

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The city of Kanpur in the north Indian state Uttar Pradesh is famed for its leather industry, meeting national and international demands for superior quality leather.

The industry, which employs thousands and earns a lot of revenue, however, has a notorious side to it. 

It is a source of hazardous pollution that, environmentalists say, is gradully killing the city.

Each day, the tanneries pump out about 30 crore litres of polluted water into the adjacent Ganges river. The city’s water treatment unit, however, has a capacity of treating 17 crore litres per day.

Kanpur also generates 400 tonnes of solid waste. 

The rampant pollution has contaminated ground water sources. There are reports of increasing deformaties among new born babies. Farmers complain their fields are turning toxic.

This photo-essay portrays the tragedy that has overtaken Kanpur.

Text by Sudhiti Naskar

Buffalos graze on the bank of Ganges while people of Jana village are in their daily chores. Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India.
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A young girl working in a crop field at Jajmau, Kanpur. The soil and ground water are contaminated with high level of chromium in Jajmau area. Uttar Pradesh, India.
Fumes coming out of a factory in Jajmau area in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India.
A Hindu cremation is going on by the side of the river Ganges at Jajmau area in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India.
A drain from the tanneries pours chromium contaminated untreated waste water in a canal at Jajmau area in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. The government run treatment plant is faulty and has failed to deliver to its promise of clean, treated water.
Chemicals are stored inside a Tannery for Tanning purpose. Chromium is one of the key chemicals used in this process. Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
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Men working in a tannery with bare hands without any safety gear, in Jajmau area, Kanpur. Uttar Pradesh, India.
Iqbal (19) transfers leather on his head for further processing in a tannery in Kanpur. These leathers contain chemicals which are harmful for skin. Uttar Pradesh, India.
Men working in a tannery in Jajmau area in Kanpur. Kanpur is known for its leather industry - supplying national and international demands for superior quality leather, generating annual revenue of billions of INR. Uttar Pradesh, India.
Chromium contaminated waste water, containing harmful chemicals, from of the tanneries pouring into the Ganges at Jajmau area in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India.