A woman and her daughter suffering from the skin ailment
Of the 248 patients who attended the OPD at the local urban primary health centre during a civic health screening, 109 were diagnosed with skin ailments. Nashik Municipal Corporation has announced health camps in the area, with dermatologists and other specialists expected to examine residents and provide follow-up treatment.
“I have suffered too,” said Shah. I am still undergoing treatment,” she said. My wife has been undergoing treatment since then,” he said. “We stopped using the borewell water, and her condition has gradually improved,” he said. Roshan Kedar, an environmentalist, said the most alarming aspect of the crisis is the apparent lack of urgency among govt agencies despite years of groundwater contamination. Agencies such as the Groundwater Surveys and Development Agency (GSDA) should have immediately mapped the extent of the contamination and acted to prevent its spread,” Kedar said.
“It began with intense itching and then blisters appeared on both hands. Even after the wounds healed, dark patches remained. The scale of the problem, however, surfaced last week. For resident Jayram Ghayal, the crisis hit home when his wife developed a skin disease. “This was about six months ago. Children appear particularly vulnerable. Apart from Aradhya, seven-year-old Swarali, a Class II student, has been struggling with itching and skin problems for months and continues to undergo treatment. Residents and environmental activists say the roots of the crisis may stretch back years. The contamination is widely linked to the long-delayed common effluent treatment plant (CETP) proposed for the Ambad industrial estate. For years, industrial effluents, particularly from electroplating units, were allegedly discharged into soak pits, fuelling fears that hazardous chemicals were seeping into the groundwater beneath nearby residential areas. The discovery of exceptionally high chromium levels has now intensified pressure on authorities. A report submitted to state govt has recommended disconnecting illegal industrial connections, tracing contamination pathways and undertaking aquifer remediation with expert assistance. Industries found responsible could face closure until proper treatment systems are installed. “Hazardous pollutants in groundwater pose a grave threat to both public health and the environment. “Instead, the problem appears to have persisted for years without a coordinated response. The delay has left residents exposed to potential health risks and allowed the contamination to spread unchecked,” he added.