Kanpur tanners face pollution threat

India

Published: 10 February, 2011

Up to 15 out of 22 tanners located along the river Ganges near the Indian city of Kanpur have recently been forced to shut down by local environmental inspectors over high levels of pollution. Leather International understands that all the tanneries are now operating again after having their power supply cut-off.

Environmental authorities in Kanpur inspected 22 tanneries over a 48 hour period and found 15 to be in violation of waste discharge limits and they subsequently had their power supply halted and were asked to stop production until the waste discharge limits were brought back under control.

There are some 402 tanneries located in Kanpur area of Northern India and the Indian authorities are stepping up action against environmental pollution especially around the sacred Ganges river. Many in the Indian leather industry feel that they have been unfairly blamed for much of the pollution which may have also come from other industrial sectors.

During a press conference on February 1, Rafeeque Ahmed, Chairman of the Indian Council for Leather Exports said that the leather industry in India was investing in primary effluent treatment plants at all tanneries followed-up by larger commual secondary treatment facilities based around tannery clusters located throughout the country.

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