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VILLAGE PROGRAMME
Jajmau, Kanpur is located in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India by the banks of the river Ganga. Jajmau, is an area where more than 350 highly polluting leather tanneries are concentrated.
The agricultural fields of around 20 villages in the vicinity of Jajmau have since 1994 been receiving hazardous irrigation water. Till about 1994, the irrigation water supplied to Jajmau carried Kanpur city sewage diluted by waters from the Ganga river. The composition of irrigation water changed completely with the setting up of the Combined Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) under Ganga Action Plan (GAP) Phase I at Jajmau in 1994. CETP was introduced to treat the hitherto untreated wastewater containing toxic tannery effluents mixed with domestic sewage. Post treatment, this water is now being utilized for irrigation purposes. The irrigation water, known to contain many toxic heavy metals, has been wreaking havoc with the region’s environment.
In what arguably, is one of the most shocking instance of an ongoing environmental disaster in the South Asian region, a number of interlinked concerns have come to the fore: contamination of
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food chains with adverse impact on food crops, soil, vegetables, livestock and even milk; contamination of underground water meant for drinking purposes with attendant grave public health implications. Illegal glue making factories using leather waste (flesh, small pieces of hides, tails of goats, buffalo, cows etc.) for making chicken feed, manure and glue are yet another problem affecting the villagers. These glue factories continuously emit foul smelling toxic fumes and create substantive air pollution.
The toxic tannery effluents are also responsible for the loss in aquatic life in the river Ganga wherever and whenever they meet with the river waters.
Adding to the woes of the villagers is the phenomenal quantum of sludge generation at a rough calculation of 22 tons/day generated from the treatment plants. This sludge containing alarming levels of toxic chromium is presently being dumped openly in the area and is fast getting mixed up with the soil in the area.
The core objective of the village programme is to mobilize the village communities to effectively highlight these issues and petition the pollution control authorities for addressing the wide
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spectrum of environmental and public health concerns at Jajmau. Eco Friends – Ganga Vahini has already been constituted in all the villages in Jajmau. Ganga Vahini (village taskforce) together with the Field Team of Eco Friends is involved in mobilization of the village communities with a special focus on women and children.
Eco Friends – Ganga Vahini are also systematically documenting the problems being faced by the villagers on account of the supply of highly polluted irrigation water to their fields and its impact on agricultural produce and public health.
On completion of systematic mobilization and documentation along with other preparatory activities, Eco Friends – Ganga Vahini organised the First Public Hearing (Jan Sunwai) on the October 6, 2002 at Sheikhpur Chowk, Jajmau. The Public Hearing is expected to be a significant first step towards effective action on the problems of the villagers (see report).
The long term objective of the Village programme is to develop one of the 20 villages as a model eco friendly village.
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