Chromium-6 Contamination in Uttar Pradesh: A Slow-Moving Health Crisis

Fluorescent yellow-green streaks mark the earth along National Highway 19 in Uttar Pradesh. The trail runs off the highway, past a culvert, and along a dirt road leading to Chhiwali village in Fatehpur district. Here, 40-year-old Daya Devi’s two-room house has a collapsing roof. But her bigger concern is her health. Over the past month, she has been taking medicines for a liver infection. She suffers from stomach pain, frequent bowel movements, and itchy rashes on her arms. Many others in the village report similar ailments.

The water from the hand pump in Devi’s courtyard is bright yellow. “Yahan poora chemical hi aata hai,” says a woman from the village, meaning “Here, only a chemical flows.” Residents blame the water for their health problems. Government data supports their suspicion.

According to the Uttar Pradesh government, groundwater in at least a dozen areas across Fatehpur, Kanpur Dehat, and Kanpur Nagar districts is contaminated with hexavalent chromium, also known as chromium (VI). This heavy metal is produced by industries and is used in electroplating and leather tanning. It is highly reactive and has a characteristic yellow-green colour.

Over the past five years, the state has collected blood samples from residents in affected areas. A 2025 government report of these tests shows that between 73 and 96 percent of those sampled have chromium (VI) levels above permissible limits. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has noted that exposure to this chemical can cause stomach ulcers, cancers, and severe damage to the kidneys and liver.

The industrial history of the region explains the contamination. Kanpur and its surrounding areas have had tanneries since the 19th century. These factories manufacture chromium sulphate, used to make leather stronger. In 2005, the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board identified six factories in Kanpur Dehat that were dumping untreated or improperly treated waste. The units were shut down that year, but the environmental damage persisted. In 2017, the NGT ordered the removal of accumulated chromium dumps in Kanpur Nagar.

Despite these actions, fresh contamination continues to surface. In 2026, the NGT took cognisance of new chemical dumps in Purwamir village in Kanpur Nagar, after villagers reported seeing yellow-green waste dumped near forest land about three months ago. The mud near the village temple is also streaked with the fluorescent colour. Villagers blame nearby factories.

Katyayni, an amicus curiae appointed by the NGT to assist the court in the matter, says the government’s efforts have been “snail-paced”. While acknowledging progress, she warns that “contamination is not waiting for the State to act.” She also points out a critical gap: there are no testing facilities for heavy metals in the three affected districts, even though blood samples have shown elevated chromium levels. This hampers proper medical care for residents.

For Daya Devi and her neighbours, the crisis is not abstract. They continue to draw water from hand pumps, unsure of what else to do. The yellow-green glow in their water is a daily reminder that the cost of industrial pollution is being paid by the people.