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  Panipat, Haryana, India     

 Site Description
 Human Exposure & Health Impact
 Site Progress

Site Description 

Location & Size of Site
Panipat has several industrial estates. One of the worst polluters is the dye industry: according to Indian newspapers, Haryana Pollution Control Board officials concede that only 30 per cent of industrial effluents flows into the city's sewers and onto treatment plants: the rest flow into open storm water drains and nearby fields. Though there are strict regulations against pollution, anecdotal evidence shows that smaller dye factories continue to inject waste directly into the groundwater through boreholes. Tap water is colored and not considered to be potable.

Contaminant Type, Source & Quantity
Toxins seen in Panipat include:
•  Mercury, fluoride, fly ash & other industrial effluents;
•  Waste water (pH, BOD, COD, oil & grease, phenol, chromium, copper, zinc, AOX, toxic organics such as benzadine)
•  Solid waste (sludges containing heavy metals)
•  Air (chlorine, volatile organic compounds)

In 2001, a Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) study found heavy metal concentration in Panipat's ground water well above standard norms.

The concentration of mercury in the sample taken from a tubewell near an industrial area in Panipat was 0.2683 mg/l, more than 268 times the permissible limit of 0.001 milligrammes per litre (mg/l) set by the World Health Organisation for drinking water, according to non-governmental organization, Centre for Science and Environment. The chemical oxygen was 360 mg/l. The maximum permissible cod level even for industrial effluents is 250 mg/l. The groundwater is as bad or worse than untreated industrial effluents.

Human Exposure & Health Impact 
Though no official study has been found, the types of disorders expected from the types of pollution seen here include: disorders of the digestive tract, nervous system, kidney, bones & other metabolic disruptions.

Number of Potentially Affected People
261,665 in Panipat City

Health Impact of Pollutant
No specific health assessment was found online. However, typical effects for these types of pollutant include:
•  lung, kidney, liver, skin disorders
•  "Metal fume fever" -- nausea, headache, fever, and chills associated with exposure.
•  Cancer - particularly lung.
•  Eye disorders from acid mists.

Site Progress

September 2004: Site reviewed by the Technical Advisory Board. Blacksmtih Institute will visit this site.