Gujarat tops the list of being the most polluted state in India, accounting for 29 per cent of the nation’s hazardous waste. It is followed by Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. Gujarat is presently generating 6.2 million tones in hazardous waste largely because they have set up over 50 industrial estates in the golden corridor spreading from Ahmedabad through Nandesari, Ankleshwar and Vapi housing several chemical industries that were phased out of Europe and the US and relocated in India.
Similarly, the 200-km-stretch between Sarigam and Baroda has seen a rapid increase in chemical industries on land which was allocated for the setting up of engineering units.
The result is that groundwater levels and rivers have become so contaminated that plants and vegetables grown in this stretch are laced with high levels of heavy metals.
Paryavaran Mitra, an NGO, head Mahesh Pandya pointed out, “The local population have been protesting against the air, water and noise pollution with little effect.” Two NGOS, namely Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti and Farmers Action Group, joined hands to find out the extent of air pollution levels by taking air samples from Ankleshwar Industrial Estate and the Vadodara Petrochemical Complex and had them sent to Columbia Analytical Services in the US for testing which revealed alarming levels of cancerous and dangerous toxins.
“We have made repeated requests to the state government to clean up these areas but they in turn pass the buck to the corporate houses,” Mr Mitra said.