Tata Chemical / nr Dwarka, Gujarat
Factory-fresh pollution, normally released under cover of darkness
1 / Factory-fresh pollution
Tucked away in the far corner of India is a Chemical Factory owned by Tata, pumping filth into the air and pouring hot waste into the sea. Normally the waste smog is released at night, making it harder to see, but today, there is a grey cloud covering the area as far as one can see. Tata have their own town nearby, in the vein of 19th-Century western industrialists, which means little information gets out.
None of the factory workers were prepared to talk to me, but many of the villagers were. The water tanks are polluted, the grass the cows eat is tainted, and the roads are coated with filth. Meanwhile, the Tata Nano gets all the headlines.
The plant ostensibly produces soda ash and cement, with by-products and effluence that are not inherently dangerous, but in their quantities and methods of disposal, have destroyed the agriculture – the vast salty slurry pans have effectively poisoned the land and made the ground water undrinkable. Inadequate waste disposal and leakage are slowly destroying the region.
At Tata ChemicalTata Chemical Factory, nr Dwarka, Gujarat.
At Tata ChemicalA grey strip runs across the land. Normally Tata release their smoky waste during the night, so this cannot be seen, but today they have chosen not to, and a complete lack of wind has encouraged the pollution to come down and land in a strip across the land .
At Tata ChemicalThe local villagers aren't as happy about Tata as Tata's own workers.
At Tata ChemicalA few hundred metres away from the factory.
At Tata ChemicalOn the road outside the factory. We are maybe 10 meters behind these girls.
At Tata ChemicalTata Chemical dump. Here comes a Jeep to make some enquiries. In the background, the dark rise is the edge of the excavation seen earlier.
At Tata ChemicalPipes carry waste away.
At Tata ChemicalFurther processing of some sort. The ground is all waste material.
At Tata ChemicalWaste chemicals like a swimming pool coming straight in.
At Tata ChemicalA series of three shots showing the large, deep excavations made by Tata for dumping waste into. This will solidify and then Tata will grow trees on it, calling this, in PR-Speak, a "Green Belt".
At Tata ChemicalA series of three shots showing the large, deep excavations made by Tata for dumping waste into. This will solidify and then Tata will grow trees on it, calling this, in PR-Speak, a "Green Belt".
At Tata ChemicalA series of three shots showing the large, deep excavations made by Tata for dumping waste into. This will solidify and then Tata will grow trees on it, calling this, in PR-Speak, a "Green Belt".
At Tata ChemicalThese pipes come all the way from the factory. They are very hot, even here, too hot to leave your hand on for more than five or six seconds. Virabha, my bike rider is keeping lookout.
At Tata ChemicalFurther downstream, where waste effluent is being readied for dumping in the Arabian Sea.
At Tata ChemicalKids play on the link road between the factory and the next town.
At Tata ChemicalMy shoes. And this is after scrubbing them in puddles for five minutes. Covered in chemical soda ash waste.
