Amarpurkashi project in India: campaign against pollution
the local paper mill provides work but pollutes the air and the water
the Aril River is now black, covered in an evil-looking froth
Fighting against the pollution of agricultural land around the village of Amarpurkashi
In the last ten years, the local paper mill has caused horrific pollution. At first, it was just the Aril River which became sluggish, black, acidic and covered in an evil-looking froth. Then it spread to farmers’ adjacent fields, ruining their crops. Next, the mill owners dumped live ash on the roadside where unsuspecting cyclists and pedestrians walked or rode through what they assumed were cold ashes. Many villagers suffered horrendous burns as a result.
Now, the stink of chemical effluents pollutes the air of the surrounding villages while black dust from the factory chimney blows far and wide, settling on everything. The water table has dropped dramatically as the factory uses huge amounts of water and all the roadside ponds have dried up. The underground water supply has also become polluted causing a sudden rise in the number of people suffering from jaundice. Those farmers who lose their crops every year have never been compensated while villagers are forced to pay for ever-deeper borings to ensure a clean water supply.
The APK project has been active in staging a Protest against Pollution. There have been rallies and demonstrations, sit-in protests, meetings with government officials and appeals to the factory owners but so far to no avail. In December 2008, a freelance documentary maker spent ten days in the village interviewing farmers and local officials and filming the pollution. From October 2009, two Geography graduates from the London School of Economics will work with a local Action Research worker to document the extent and effects of the pollution and investigate other ways to get something done.
The campaign has been taken up by the UK organisation "Asian Foundation for Philanthropy". See Pollute and Prosper. Back to Partner Project - Other Activities.