Victory for the Ganges

Dear friends,

We are thrilled to share good news for the Ganges!

India’s National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered the inspection of 956 factories that release effluents into the India’s most sacred waterway.

ELAW Staff Scientist Mark Chernaik helped partners show that a sugar mill and distillery were illegally discharging heavily-polluted wastes to the Ganges River in Uttar Pradesh, contrary to court documents.

Mark’s analysis helped ELAW partners convince members of the NGT to conduct an onsite inspection of the facility, which remains closed, and expand the scope of the case to include nearly 1,000 factories that discharge wastewater to the Ganges River.

“Mark was a great help,” says Rahul Choudhary.  “Now he will help prioritize which of the factories on the list are the worst polluters, to maximize the impact of future NGT orders.”

The industries on the inspection list are tanneries, paper mills, pesticide manufacturers, sugar mills, distilleries, and more.  Inspections will be conducted by the Central Pollution Control Board, the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board, and the National Ganga River Basin Authority.

Congratulations Rahul on this inspiring win for clean water!

Sincerely,

Maggie Keenan
Communications Director
Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide

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