N O M I N A T I O N / I N I T I A L    R E P O R T

Tangra, Kolkata, India

 Site Description
 Human Exposure & Health Impact
 Site Progress


Site Description 

Location & Size of Site
Tangra lies on the outskirts of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) and was famous for its leather tanning industry.

A Supreme Court order forced the tanneries to relocate to a self-contained leather-processing complex in the Bantala area. This was in response to public interest litigation filed by environmentalists alleging that pollution from the industries exceeded the state pollution standards.

However some tanneries still exist here to this day despite relocation orders. This region has a very high water table and several wetlands around the old tannery sites. The entire area is about half a dozen city blocks in size.

Contaminant Type, Source & Quantity
The main pollutant is suspected to be hexavalent chromium. Open gutters have a typical blue chromate color which is commonly utilized as a tanning agent. This may indicate chromium contamination.

Number of Potentially Affected People
10,000

Health Impact of Pollutant
There were no visible signs of health effects from the tanneries. However, hexavalent chromium is a known carcinogen and is suspected to be commonly found in the industrial effluents coming from the tanneries.

People exposed to the tannery effluents may develop lung cancer, soft tissue sarcoma, pancreatic cancer, testicular cancer and bladder cancer, especially the workers who work without any adequate protection.

December 2004: Site reviewed by the Technical Advisory Board. It was decided that Blacksmith Institute would visit this site.

January 2005: Site visited by Blacksmith Institute. Analysis of drinking water and groundwater is to be conducted to determine if there is any significant threat to human health. As part of the relocation process the tanneries were required to deposit funds with the Ministry of Environment and Forests to pay for any legacy contamination remediation. These funds could be utilized in case any significant contamination is found.