Context
A recent investigation highlighted persistent chromium contamination of soil and groundwater in Kanpur Dehat, Kanpur Nagar and Fatehpur districts of Uttar Pradesh due to decades of industrial waste dumping. Despite waste removal efforts, contamination and associated public health concerns continue.
Explanation
- Chromium (Cr) is a heavy metal used in stainless steel manufacturing, electroplating, dyes and leather tanning.
- It primarily occurs in two states: trivalent chromium and hexavalent chromium.
- Hexavalent chromium is highly toxic, more mobile in groundwater and classified as a Group 1 human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
- Exposure can cause skin ulcers, respiratory disorders, kidney and liver damage, and increased lung cancer risk.
- Industrial waste can release chromium into soil, which subsequently enters groundwater through leaching.
- India’s permissible limit for total chromium in drinking water is 0.05 mg/L, under BIS IS 10500.
- The National Green Tribunal (NGT) oversees environmental compliance, while CPCB and SPCBs monitor pollution.
- Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities (TSDFs) manage hazardous waste under the Hazardous and Other Wastes Rules, 2016.
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Chromium Pollution: Uttar Pradesh’s Groundwater and Health Risks