Thane's Waldhuni river is bleeding... and your jeans could be to blame

Environment activist Sarita Khanchandani writes to PM Narendra Modi and CM Devendra Fadnavis to prevent local chemical units from releasing toxic waste into Waldhuni river

A local jeans washing unit is suspected to have added to the contamination of Waldhuni river

Waldhuni river, in front of the Ulhasnagar railway station, is bleeding. While activists claim that on most days it remains black, they suspect chemical waste released by factories in the area is polluting the river further, turning the water a toxic red in colour.

In a bid to stop contamination of river water, a local activist and the founder of Hirali Foundation, an NGO that works for environmental causes among others, Sarita Khanchandani has written to the chief minister and environment minister, complaining about nearby chemical units polluting the river.

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Speaking to mid-day, Khanchandani said, "I wanted to lodge an FIR against these industrial units that are releasing chemical waste into the river. Waldhuni river originates near the hills of Ambernath, near Kokale village, and its channel in front of the station is known as the Waldhuni Nullah. Unfortunately, the river borders the industrial stretch from Ulhasnagar, Ambernath and Badlapur to Vitthalwadi, Shahad and Kalyan, and most of these units are polluting the river."

Khanchandani said the water is an intense red between 8 am and 10 am. "I was heading to the river to check if the nullah was being cleaned, but I was shocked to find it completely red. Usually, we find the river in a dirty shade of black. The circumference, almost 300 metres, around the river has also turned into a toxic red. We tried to locate the units causing this damage, and, we suspect, the numerous dyeing units in the area are polluting the river."

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Significantly, the activist has also tweeted about this to PM Narendra Modi, saying that the Waldhuni river can now only be described as a nullah by virtue of the fact that it's choking under a deluge of garbage and toxic waste. "I have been protesting against the increasing pollution in this river for over three years. I was forced to complain to the PM and CM Devendra Fadnavis. The river flows across the jurisdiction of Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation, the Badlapur Municipal Council and the Ambernath Municipal Council."

Regional officer at Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, Kalyan, D Patil said, "We will take strict action against the defaulters. It's likely that a jeans washing unit is causing the damage. In the last one month, we have shut nearly 10 jeans washing plants."

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