The National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordered the Odisha government to permanently seal contaminated wells in the chromite-rich Sukinda valley, following findings that cancer-causing hexavalent chromium have contaminated the region’s groundwater.
Event Context
The eastern zonal bench of NGT passed July 10 order after a comprehensive study by Central Ground Water Board revealed alarming levels of cancer-causing hexavalent chromium in the region’s deeper aquifers, even though the tribunal explicitly ruled out a direct link between the industrial pollution and a highly publicized string of kidney-related deaths in the area.
Though the NGT bench comprising judicial member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member Ishwar Singh, dismissed the direct correlation between the localised deaths and chromium toxicity, it took serious note of the underlying water crisis in the 180-square-kilometer valley and ordered the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) to conduct an extensive hydrogeological study.
The CGWB which collected 233 water samples across multiple seasons found that while shallow, unconfined aquifers (up to 30 meters below ground level) were found to be completely free from hexavalent chromium contamination, the deeper semi-confined aquifers, heavily tapped by regional hand pumps, were largely contaminated.
During the pre-monsoon period, 37 out of 183 samples registered hexavalent chromium concentrations exceeding the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) permissible limit of 0.05 mg/l for drinking water.
The CGWB concluded that this contamination is primarily driven by the natural oxidative mobilization of chromium from the region’s abundant chromite-bearing strata, rather than purely from industrial discharge.
Hexavalent chromium, or Cr(VI), is classified as a Group 1 human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and excessive ingestion can cause liver and kidney damage, internal hemorrhage, and respiratory disorders
Despite dismissing the immediate mortality claims, the tribunal took serious note of the underlying water crisis in Sukinda valley. Acting on the NGT’s directives, the CGWB conducted an extensive hydrogeological study, collecting 233 water samples across multiple seasons. The findings painted a complex picture of subterranean pollution.
Though the CGWB investigation cleared the mining companies regarding their wastewater management, the Damsala Nallah, the primary drainage channel traversing the valley, showed elevated chromium levels.
Officials said that the it naturally receives strata water and surface runoff from overburden dumps, making it totally unfit for consumption.
To mitigate public health risks, the NGT issued strict directives for Jajpur district officials to routinely inspect and permanently close any contaminated water bodies and wells.
Team Analysis
NGT also ordered the installation of arsenic removal plants in affected villages and the formation of joint inspection teams between the Odisha State Pollution Control Board and the CGWB to ensure rigorous, ongoing water quality management.
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The NGT began the suo motu proceedings following a letter by Mantu Das, a resident of Odisha’s Jajpur district, alleging that unchecked chromite mining in the Kaliapani industrial area had severely polluted local water sources.
Das claimed this unchecked toxic contamination had triggered an urgent public health crisis, resulting in 10 to 15 deaths from kidney-related ailments within a single month.
The Sukinda valley in Jajpur district holds roughly 97% of India’s chromite reserves and supplies 100% of the country’s domestic chrome ore production. Spanning about 40 square kilometers, it is the backbone of country’s ferroalloy and stainless steel industries,
Das in his petition named specific victims, including a 42-year-old man and an 88-year-old woman urging the tribunal to implement immediate mitigating measures.
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